Commuters in the north-east will get a huge boost today when the Scottish Government confirms a key stretch of the region’s busiest road will be dualled by spring 2017.
The upgrade of the Tipperty-Balmedie section of the A90 will be finished early as part of the drive to complete the 36-mile, £745million Aberdeen bypass six months ahead of schedule.
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Keith Brown will also reveal that the airport junction on the new road will be opened by autumn 2016.
He will be in Aberdeen today to make the announcements – which are likely to fuel calls for the A90 to be dualled all the way to Peterhead.
Mr Brown said the Scottish Government had “worked hard to secure early wins” and airport users, local businesses and commuters would be pleased to hear the news.
The announcement will be welcomed by Aberdeen International Airport managing director Carol Benzie, who recently told MSPs at Holyrood that early completion of the Craibstone and Dyce junctions of the bypass should be a priority.
She said passengers getting stuck in traffic for 40 minutes waiting to leave the airport was not a “great welcome” to Aberdeen – and was bad for local businesses.
Ms Benzie added that the issue was “causing major headaches and complaints”.
SNP MSP Mr Brown said nearly £1billion was being invested in bringing the transport network in the north east “up to 21st century standards”.
“We are determined to alleviate the congestion we see on the roads in and around Aberdeen on a daily basis,” he added.
“The scheme will bring around £6billion worth of benefits and 14,000 jobs to the north-east economy, and we want these benefits felt as soon as possible.
“That is why we have brought forward the completion date of the Aberdeen bypass to winter 2017 with a promise to press for a deal to bring forward other key sections of the scheme earlier too.
“I can confirm our intention that the Craibstone and Dyce junctions are now expected to finish by autumn 2016, and the Balmedie-Tipperty section by spring 2017.
“This good news will allow local plans in the Dyce Drive areas around the airport to be taken forward with certainty, and bring much needed relief to drivers accessing Aberdeen from the north of the city on the A90.”
The project will link the Aberdeen-Dundee stretch of the A90 at Stonehaven and Charleston with the Aberdeen-Ellon section of the trunk road at Blackdog, north of the city.
The government originally forecast that the project would be competed by 2018.
The early finish could also accelerate work on one of Aberdeen’s most notorious bottlenecks, the Haudagain roundabout.
Connect Roads – a consortium made up of Balfour Beatty, Galliford Try and Carillion – was named preferred contractor for the long-awaited scheme earlier this year.
Jenny Laing, leader of Aberdeen City Council, and Jim Gifford, who leads Aberdeenshire Council, said local people would be “delighted” that the long-awaited project would be completed early.