February 18 2019

Transport Scotland are to open the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route to road traffic from tomorrow with completion of the final 4.5-mile section connecting Craibstone and Parkhill.

Construction work was completed by Galliford Try following the collapse of Carillion last year, mid-way through delivery of the £745m infrastructure project, compounding a series of delays and defects which have plagued the project since work first began back in 2015.

Aberdeen City Council co-leader Douglas Lumsden commented: “The premise of the city centre as a destination rather than a thoroughfare will become far more appealing and the City Council is supporting that with developments that are bringing positive change to Aberdeen’s traditional heart.”

The 36-mile route has been steadily opened in stages with motorists urged to drive with caution while they become accustomed to the new route.
 

7 Comments

#1 Posted by Daniel on 19 Feb 2019 at 09:06 AM

Unless, of course, it improves access for or opens up cheap land for more out-of-town retail/offices/leisure...

#2 Posted by We are all Carrilionaires on 19 Feb 2019 at 09:41 AM

Were Balfour Beastly not also involved in the joint venture

#3 Posted by Karmadillo on 20 Feb 2019 at 08:47 AM

#2 Yup, they were. Both with GT less £140m each out their pockets on this snowballing failure.

#4 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 20 Feb 2019 at 10:54 AM

Is it possible that the planners / designers / felt tip fairies could have produced a more contrived, partial and limited set of junctions?

Road design in Scotland / UK is currently a joke with the concept of free-flow traffic now being forgotten at the altar of roundabouts, junctions and wild goose chases.

Hopefully the workmanship is better than recent projects in the central belt -- the M73 / M74 upgrade was phoned in by the guide dog.

#5 Posted by Islands of sanity on 21 Feb 2019 at 13:07 PM

#4. Please give credit to where it is due. In this case it is road engineers.

#6 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 25 Feb 2019 at 10:04 AM

No matter what they call themselves their output is tripe.

Why all the roundabouts in the design of this road -- is free-flow traffic something to be discouraged?

Is the concept of a grade separated junction now beyond the imagination of the planners or has value engineering now become an end in itself?

Road is a joke.

#7 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 25 Feb 2019 at 10:06 AM

Given the lack of grade separated junctions at strategic points throughout the new road -- three at least missing -- was the cost on CO2 never taken into account, plus the lost time and the increased risk of accidents?

Whoever managed this project phoned it in.

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