Communities to get say on Aberdeen-Elgin road plan

THE Scottish Government today announced plans to give local communities a say on the proposed solution for one of the North east’s most notorious traffic bottlenecks.

• View the plans here

Drivers on the A96 Aberdeen to Elgin road have endured decades of delays at the Inveramsay Bridge near Inverurie where the busy road narrows down to a single lane, controlled by traffic lights, when it passes under a rail bridge carrying the main Aberdeen to Inverness line.

Transport Scotland is planning to spend £11 million on the construction of a new bridge structure to take the road over the railway and realign the A96 over a length of almost a mile in a move that will allow the free flow of traffic on the trunk road for the first time.

The roads agency today announced that designs for the proposed scheme are to go on display at public exhibitions in Huntly and Inverurie later this month, giving locals and road users a chance to comment on the proposals.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Following completion of the statutory process, unless there is a need for a public local inquiry, we hope to start construction in 2015/16 with a view to completing the scheme in 2016/17.”

Keith Brown, Scotland’s Transport Minister, said: “The Scottish Government has made clear our commitment to improve journey time reliability and remove the traffic lights which have affected road users travelling along this stretch of the A96 for many years.

“On completion, locals and visitors can expect real benefits through reduced congestion and improved journey reliability.

“I would encourage anyone with an interest to come along to one of the public exhibitions next week to see our plans and take the opportunity to comment on them.”