A 7.5 mile stretch of the Aberdeen bypass has finally opened to traffic today.
Months of travel misery will come to an end for motorists north of the city as the newly-dualled Balmedie to Tipperty stretch of the A90 Aberdeen to Peterhead road opens, after more than a year of speed restrictions and lane closures.
The project is part of the £745 million Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), which is due to be completed in autumn.
The national speed limit will be back in place, instead of the 30mph, 40mph and 50mph limits that have been in force throughout the works.
Some “snagging” works will continue on some sliproads and side roads.
The dualling project represents a fifth of the AWPR scheme and includes three new junctions, five miles of new dual carriageway between Balmedie and Bridgend and more than a mile of improvements to the existing dual carriageway.
Traffic cones on the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty were removed overnight and the temporary 40mph speed limit lifted, meaning motorists could use both lanes of the new 70mph dual carriageway for the first time.
The announcement on the latest opening was made on Monday by Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Matheson.