WATCH: Main Aberdeen bypass stretch to open next week
Contractors want MORE taxpayers' money for FIXED-PRICE project.
Last updated 5th Dec 2018
By the end of next week - we're going to be driving on the main part of the AWPR.
That's the part between Stonehaven and the A96 - which has been effectively ready for months.
And contractors are still hoping the whole thing - including the problem bridge over the Don - will be ready by the end of the year, but they admit that is "challenging."
They've revealed the whole thing has cost over £1bn – but contractors have only agreed to be paid £745 million. They’ve got a claim in for extra costs because of utility works and the weather.
It comes after weeks of intensive talks between Transport Secretary Michael Matheson and Aberdeen Roads Limited.
Mr Matheson, said: "This is the news we have all been waiting for. I have explored every possible avenue with Aberdeen Roads Limited to open this section of road as soon as possible and I am delighted my efforts to bring this matter to a positive conclusion have been successful.
"I made it clear to them my strong desire to get the road open would not be at any cost and Scottish Ministers are simply not willing to pay over the odds for the road on account of mistakes or miscalculations that are of the contractors’ own making. I am pleased they have now recognised this.
"It is disappointing my personal intervention was required in order to move this matter forward. I question why it has taken ARL this long to release these benefits to the North East when the road has been ready to open on October 5 and payments to ARL could have commenced earlier.
"I am sure the people of the North East will join me in a sense of relief and even excitement that a large part of this transformative road is finally opening. But they will also share my deep sense of frustration at ARL’s misguided and ultimately pointless tactics.
"We should also keep in mind that technical issues with the Don Crossing are the sole reason the road is not open today.
"ARL has said it aims to finish the bridge before Christmas but has also correctly warned the remaining works are complex, very weather sensitive and subject to safety and quality tests. We should therefore treat this optimistic programme with caution."
The AWPR will provide thousands of drivers every day with a range of benefits, including improved journey time reliability, better local access and reduced congestion, while safety will also be enhanced. It will also improve air quality and reduce traffic volume in Aberdeen City, making pedestrian and cycle travel around Aberdeen easier, safer and a more enjoyable experience.
The opening date and information for road users will be provided as soon as possible.
The new section will provide North East road users with access to around 20 miles (32km) of new road, which means more than 85% of the project will be open to traffic from next week.
It is in addition to the Balmedie and Tipperty section, which opened in August 2018, the Parkhill and Blackdog, which in June 2018, and the Craibstone Roundabout and Dyce Drive section, which opened in September 2016.