A councillor has claimed trust in AWPR bosses is beginning to evaporate amid further delays.
Councillor Ian Mollison made the claim after Transport Scotland failed to reopen a country road at Burnhead, near Kirkton of Maryculter, which is weeks behind schedule.
The C5K route, which had been due to open last Monday, will now not reopen until this week at the earliest.
It is understood a safety inspection was carried out on the road and it was deemed unsuitable for traffic.
The delay means that local authority roads teams will be unable to carry out vital maintenance work on another route in the area, which is known as U63K to planners, as it would cause severe disruption to residents.
Last night, North Kincardine representative Mr Mollison said the community was beginning to lose faith in transport chiefs.
“It’s really a question of the impact these delays are having on local residents,” he said.
“They have a country road network which the AWPR has split this in half. A bridge has been built to connect the two but it keeps getting delayed.
“We keep hearing promises about an opening date and it keeps passing.
“Once you can understand but it’s now the stage where you are left wondering what’s going on, it’s the uncertainty more than anything else.”
Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed it will not begin to carry out work until the C5K has been reopened.
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “The contractor apologises for any inconvenience caused to the local community during the closure of the C5K Burnhead Road.
“It has confirmed that its works have been impacted by a number of factors, including wet weather which has hampered or prevented planned works. Please be assured that the intention is to reopen the C5K Burnhead Road as soon as possible.”