Long-awaited bypass is finally finished

The delayed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) will be fully opened to motorists tomorrow, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has announced.

The final stretch of the 36-mile bypass was expected to be completed before Christmas.

Mr Matheson has now confirmed the stretch of road between Craibstone and Parkhill will open to traffic before tomorrow morning’s rush hour.

The transport secretary thanked motorists, businesses and communities in the north-east who, he said, had been “extremely patient”.

All work on the AWPR had initially been set to end by spring 2018 but the project was delayed by factors such as the weather and the collapse of construction firm Carillion.

The new road was built under a £745 million fixed-price contract. In December, contractors said delays meant hundreds of millions of pounds in additional expense, taking the overall cost to more than £1 billion.

However, over the next 30 years, it is expected to bring an additional £6 billion to the north-east economy, according to Transport Scotland, and help create around

14,000 jobs.

Mr Matheson said the opening of the last stretch “allows the full benefits of this transformational project to be fully realised”.

He added: “Since the major part of the road opened, the overwhelmingly positive feedback has demonstrated the positive impact infrastructure can bring about in people’s lives, the quality of their environment and the economy. Despite the many challenges since then, we have taken a responsible and steadfast approach to delivering for the long-term benefit of the people and businesses of the north-east and Scotland as a whole.”

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson.