ABERDEEN’S Haudagain improvement project has officially been opened to traffic following numerous delays, sparking fresh hope that congestion in the city may be eased.
The prior Haudagain Roundabout was a notorious bottleneck for Aberdeen traffic, and was even shortlisted as one of the worst in the UK in the 2011 ‘Roundabout Idol’ competition.
The £49.5 million dual-carriageway link road will take traffic between the A92 North Anderson Drive and A96 Auchmill Road and improve traffic flow.
Transport minister Jenny Gilruth cut the ribbon on the new road on Monday morning after a visit to Middlefield Community Project.
Gilruth commented: “It has been just over three years since construction work began on this key improvement for Aberdeen and later today the public will be able to travel along it for the first time.
“The new dual carriageway will help tackle the congestion caused by the traffic bottleneck at the Haudagain roundabout and deliver significant benefits including improving journey time for road users and public transport.
“I know there have been delays to the completion of this project, which has been understandably frustrating for the local community. The contractors did suffer from staff shortages due to the impact of the Omicron variant at the turn of the year, and I am hopeful the community will now welcome the project’s completion.
“I was delighted to cut the ribbon to open this new road, allowing the local community and road users of Aberdeen to start enjoying the benefits that it will bring to the north-east.”
Barry McLean, regional director for the contractor Farrans in Scotland, also said: “We are pleased to have reached this important milestone in the progress of the A92/A96 Haudagain improvement project.
"We have worked closely with Transport Scotland to deliver a scheme which will alleviate bottlenecks at the roundabout, creating a new dual carriage way and enabling improved pedestrian and cycling routes through the local area.”
