Major upgrades planned for Port Elphinstone roundabout

The Port Elphinstone roundabout along the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road at Inverurie could be in line for some major changes as the town expands.

The main route from the south-east of the community sits right next to the planned Crichie housing development, which will ultimately bring about a 900-home population boom.

Roads bosses say the roundabout will need some significant changes to accommodate the extra people.

What are the upgrades?

At the last Garioch Area Committee meeting, the housing plans were progressed.

The roundabout borders the site of a planned 900-home development. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

And now we are detailing the exact upgrades proposed for the roundabout, which is just next to Lawrence of Kemnay and leads drivers into the town centre.

The most prominent change would be a new pedestrian underpass connecting the development to Inverurie, which would go under the A96 just a few yards from the roundabout.

The biggest changes would be extra lanes on approach and a pedestrian underpass. Image: Dandara Homes

More lanes on the B993 would also be added on approach to the roundabout, to deal with the influx of motorists coming from the new development.

Plans for the Crichie scheme have been in the pipeline for more than a decade, while negotiations rumbled on about the road changes required.

Previously, anticipated costs had “undermined the viability and deliverability of the site”.

How the Crichie development near Inverurie could look.

But developers Dandara Homes have overcome this, with their masterplan for the Crichie site approved.

Can Port Elphinstone roundabout cope with new development?

Council roads chiefs revealed at the recent meeting that a whole new interchange was originally planned to replace the Port Elphinstone roundabout when the plans were first proposed.

But due to a wrangle involving land ownership, it was agreed that just upgrading the current infrastructure would be the best way forward.

Issues over land ownership are the reasons behind the upgrade. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The meeting heard that road usage had decreased since the plans were first pieced together more than a decade ago.

Transport bosses crunched the numbers and found that projected traffic figures were actually significantly lower than what was predicted.

They put this down to the increase of working from home, with fewer people commuting from the Garioch town into Aberdeen.

Times have changed…

Roads chief Mark Peters said: “If this meeting was happening back in 2012 or 2013, it would have occurred at Gordon House with the majority of people in attendance driving.”

However, more land has been allocated for further upgrades in case the congestion is worse than expected…

Do you think this section of the A96 will be able to cope? Let us know in our comments section below

When will Port Elphinstone roundabout upgrades begin?

These transport upgrades are planned to get under way at the same time as ground is first broken on new homes.

But that is still some time away yet.

A full planning application will have to be approved before any changes come to the roundabout. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Despite the masterplan being approved by councillors, Dandara Homes still need to submit an official planning application before any work can begin.

Back in July last year, Dandara Homes’ Aberdeen head of sales Claire Bathgate told The Press and Journal that although good progress was being made, she “wasn’t certain” any homes would be built by the end of 2025.

You can view the full plans here.

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