AWPR Link Road at Milltimber to close temporarily
The AWPR Link Road at Milltimber will close temporarily from 00:01 on Saturday 18 November until the new junction becomes fully operational to reduce congestion in Milltimber as works on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project continue.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:
“The temporary closure of the AWPR Link Road is an interim measure which has been agreed between the contractor and Aberdeen City Council as local roads authority. This temporary closure will reduce the number of available manoeuvres at the junction, improve signal phasing timings, and therefore ease congestion.
“The contactor will continue to monitor the temporary signals and use manual control to relieve congestion if necessary.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by these critical works in Milltimber. The contractor will endeavour to complete the works being undertaken at the earliest opportunity and in the meantime we ask that road users continue to allow additional time for their journeys. The road will re-open when the AWPR opens to traffic in the coming months.”
The spokesperson added:
“The use of a temporary roundabout at the A93 North Deeside Road at its junction with the B979 Milltimber Brae was a short-term solution designed to keep traffic moving while major construction works were underway in the area. This solution was suitable for the traffic manoeuvers prior to the opening of the AWPR and before the necessary installation of the traffic signals.
“The new junction, which has to be in place prior to the AWPR opening to traffic, is being built to manage the future traffic movements in the area. These movements are predicted to include a considerable reduction in traffic on the B979 south of the A93. Also, once the AWPR opens, road users will be able to use the new link road, north of the A93, to access the new trunk road.”
The use of traffic signals at this junction was progressed after traffic modelling showed this solution predicted the best operational performance following the opening of the AWPR. Other considerations in the design process were road design standards, road safety, environmental impact and cost.
Alternative junction layouts were tested and rejected based on the same considerations.