Roadworks that are part of the construction of a £36million school campus in Aberdeenshire have been prolonged.
Traffic restrictions were due to be in place on Ellon’s South Road for two weeks but have gone on longer than scheduled.
Work on the Ellon Community Campus at Cromleybank, which is due to open in 2015, will provide modern teaching facilities for 1,200 pupils.
Building work on the school itself has not been stalled, but yesterday Aberdeenshire Council confirmed work on the access to the campus had delayed.
It is understood one of the major delays has been caused by rock that was discovered when contractors attempted to instal a new pumping main. The rock had to be broken down, adding four days to the programme.
The contractors have also unwittingly delayed the works by trying to cut down on the time motorists were waiting at the temporary traffic lights currently on the road. They are working on smaller stretches of road than originally planned – meaning they have to keep moving the contra-flow system before embarking on excavation, kerb-laying, curing and surfacing.
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “Unfortunately, due to additional work, mainly associated with unforeseen services, the contractor has been delayed and the road works have taken longer than planned.
“This does not affect the work to the main school which is on programme.
“They have therefore applied for, and been granted, an extension to the current traffic restrictions.
“While this will extend the period of inconvenience slightly, it is necessary to allow the required works to this exciting new campus development to be concluded safely.”
