AWPR - new road alignment for A947 following upcoming works
A section of the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road is expected to open on a new alignment during week commencing Monday 9 October following a weekend closure, as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project.
It is anticipated that the road will close north of the River Don Bridge to the Fountain Equestrian Centre from around 8pm Friday 6 October to 6am Monday 9 October to enable the new section of road to be connected to the existing road. Following this closure, traffic will run temporarily on the A947’s new alignment, before a second road closure is carried out to complete surfacing works.
Whilst the Contractor will make every effort to complete the work over the weekend of 6 to 9 October, they are very much weather dependent. Therefore, should the contractor be unable to complete these works due to factors out with its control, a further weekend weekend closure may be required to take place from around 8pm Friday 13 October to 6am Monday 16 October, to enable these works to be completed.
A further planned road closure is expected to take place from around 8pm Friday 20 October to 6am Monday 23 October, following which the new A947 alignment will be reopened to traffic. Again, the works planned to take place during the weekend of 20 to 23 October are weather dependent and therefore a further weekend closure may be required to take place from around 8pm Friday 27 October to 6am Monday 29 October.
Due to the location of this closure and its interface with other parts of the public road network, there will be a number of diversionary routes in place. All diversions will be sign-posted.
Road users originating north of Oldmeldrum
Road users travelling south from north of Oldmeldrum will be diverted from the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road at Oldmeldrum to the A96 at Inverurie, via the B9170 Inverurie to Oldmeldrum Road, Portstown Link Road, the B9001, Burghmuir Drive and Blackhall Road. They will then be directed east along the A96.
Road users originating between Oldmeldrum and the road closure
Road users travelling south starting their journeys between Oldmeldrum and the road closure will be diverted from the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road at Newmacher to the A96 at the Haudagin Roundabout, via the B979, the B999 to Murcar Roundabout, and the A90 between Murcar Roundabout and Haudagain Roundabout. They will then be directed west along the A96.
Road users travelling south on the A947 from north of Balmedie
Road users travelling south on the A90 who would have continued their journey south via the A947 will be advised of the closure of the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road north of Balmedie, and will be diverted via the A90 to the A96 at Haudagain Roundabout. They will then be directed west along the A96.
Road users travelling north on the A947 from south or east of Haudagain Roundabout
Road users travelling north on the A90 or west on Great Northern Road who would have continued their journey north via the A947 will be advised of the closure of the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road on approach to the Haudagain Roundabout, and will be diverted via the A90 to Murcar Roundabout, the B999 and the B979 to Newmachar.
Road users travelling north on the A947 from Dyce
Road users travelling north from Dyce will be diverted from the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road to Newmachar via Riverview Drive and the A947 to the A96 at Bankead Roundabout, the A96 to the Haudagain Roundabout, the A90 to Murcar Roundabout, the B999 and the B979.
Road users travelling north on the A947 from west of Craibstone
Road users travelling east on the A96 who would have continued their journey north via the A947 will be advised of the closure of the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road west of Caribstone Roundabout, and will be diverted via the A96 to Haudagain Roundabout, the A90 to Murcar Roundabout, the B999 and the B979 to Newmacher
A revised bus service will be in place. Further information can be found on the Stagecoach website on www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates or by calling the Stagecoach Aberdeen office on 01224 212266.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:
“The realignment of this section of the A947 Aberdeen to Banff Road is a major step forward in completing the new Goval Junction. It is part of a major engineering undertaking, involving the construction of three bridges, one of which is located above the AWPR, which ensures that this key road is maintained for the local community. Once complete, this junction will provide access north towards Tipperty and south towards Stonehaven via the AWPR/B-T mainline. It will also provide access to the local road network for places such as Dyce and Bridge of Don to the south and Newmachar and Oldmeldrum to the north.
“These closures, which will enable the contractor to complete the road, have been timed to minimise the impact on road users. We are, however, aware that this route is used by the local community at weekends to get to and from the airport for example, so we would strongly recommend that anyone who is considering using this route should plan their journeys in advance and allow more time for travel.
“As with any change to road layout, we strongly encourage road users to drive with more caution than usual. We would also kindly request drivers to observe all of the signage and speed limits that are in place to enhance the safety of road users and road workers.
“We would like to thank road users and the local community for their on-going support and patience during the construction works.”