Denburn Road: Main route to avoid Aberdeen bus gates closes for bridge inspection

The southbound lane of Denburn Road - which has been the quickest way to travel across Aberdeen - will be closed on Sunday.

By Denny Andonova

November 14 2024, 3:43 pm

The northbound carriageway of Denburn Road will remain open during the works. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

Aberdeen drivers will have to take a different route to reach the south of the city this weekend amid ongoing works on Denburn Road.

The road – which has been the main route to go about Aberdeen while avoiding the city centre bus gates – will be closed between 9am and 4pm on Sunday, November 17.

This is to allow an inspection of the underside of Union Bridge as improvement works on the central stretch of Union Street ramp up.

The closure will affect only the southbound lane of Denburn Road, from the Woolmanhill roundabout to the Wapping Street junction.

Those travelling south will be instead diverted through Rosemount and Union Terrace.

Denburn Road is the quickest way to get across the city without getting caught in the city centre bus gates.

The bus gate on Bridge Street will also be temporarily suspended for the day so it can be used as an alternative route.

The northbound lane will remain open as usual for the duration of the works.

This closure will be an inconvenience for drivers who have spent more than a year learning how to navigate the new layout of Aberdeen city centre.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with a handy map showing how you can get across town and still avoid a fine…

Why is Denburn Road closing?

Council officials say the closure is necessary so workers can investigate the structure of the bridge from underneath.

It’s part of the local authority’s masterplan for Union Street, which is hoped to boost footfall and bring new fortunes to the city centre.

The Union Street project will widen pavements, reduce the road down to one lane each way and include segregated bike lanes. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

The stretch between Market Street and Bridge Street has been closed since June.

This is the first section to be done up, with aspirations to eventually create a bike lane all the way from the Castlegate to Holburn Junction.

And while this phase is not yet completed, workers have begun to slowly move up the high street to figure out the maze of cables and pipes lying underneath in advance.

So what route should I take?

The closure of Denburn Road will last only a few hours, however, it is still expected to cause some disruption – especially for those travelling south.

This route has been the quickest way to cross the city since the introduction of the controversial bus gates on Union Street, Market Street and Bridge Street.

And with Denburn being off limits on Sunday, drivers will have to take a rather windy detour which will extend the journey by about 10-15 minutes (providing there is no heavy traffic).

This map shows the quickest way to get from north Aberdeen to Torry, for example, during the closure of Denburn Road. Image: Roddie Reid/DC Thomson.

Those coming from Bridge of Don, for example, will have to take Skene Street instead once they reach the Woolmanhill roundabout.

From there, the best way will be through Rosemount Viaduct, Union Terrace and Bridge Street (which will be open to all vehicles between 9am and 4pm on Sunday).

Once you’ve reached the lights at the Debenhams, you will have to do a loop through Carmelite Street and Guild Street to get onto South College Street.

From this point on, drivers can return to their usual route across the river.