A92/A96 Haudagain improvement

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Overview

The Haudagain Roundabout is a major road junction in Aberdeen which is currently operating over capacity. This can cause significant queues and delays to traffic on the approach roads. Completion of the Haudagain Improvement project will improve traffic flow and journey time reliability and help alleviate traffic congestion.

Progress

Advance Work

Work started to deliver the project in Summer 2018. Advance utility work and ground investigation work was undertaken initially.

Work then got underway to clear the site, which included the demolition of 31 buildings.

Building being demolished

The site was cleared to enable the main construction contractor to get construction work underway as effectively and efficiently as possible following the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. A drop-in session was held on 4 July 2018 for local residents who may be affected by the site clearance work.

The main construction contract to build the new dual carriageway was awarded to Farrans Construction on 8 January 2019.

Impact during construction

Engaging with local communities is at the heart of all of Transport Scotland’s major construction projects and will continue to be vital as work progresses on constructing the A92/A96 Haudagain Junction Improvement.

The Contractor has a dedicated Community Liaison Officer (CLO) who is committed to keeping the local community informed as the project progresses. Please contact the CLO for any enquiries relating to the construction of this project:

Angela Newlands
Community Liaison Officer
Free customer care line: 0800 783 0024
Email: haudagain@farrans.com

Traffic management

All traffic management for the project is planned in a manner that minimises the impact on the local community and minimises delays, disruption and diversions to existing traffic. To help make sure this is achieved, traffic management proposals are planned and co-ordinated through a regular traffic management meeting. These meetings are chaired by the Contractor and attended by Transport Scotland and representatives of BEAR Scotland, Aberdeen City Council and Police Scotland.

Safety of road users and the workforce through the construction area is a key priority and the traffic management measures are carefully planned to reflect this, whilst keeping disruption to a minimum.

As the project progresses, updates on major traffic management to allow construction of the project will be provided here. 

The dates given are as accurate as possible, but due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather, may be subject to change at short notice.

We will communicate the major traffic management using a variety of channels including letters, website, social media and on occasion broadcast.

We will make every effort to minimise disruption where possible, however road users should expect some disruption to the traffic flow and should allow additional time for journeys.

Working hours

The normal working hours on-site are Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm and Saturday between 8am and 1pm. There may, on occasion, be a need for work to be carried out outwith these hours with permission from Aberdeen City Council.

Environmental Impact

The environmental impact of the scheme was assessed in detail and the Environmental Report was published in November 2014.

Community engagement

Project newsletters

Drop-in Community Event – December 2019

Farrans Construction held a drop-in event on Tuesday 10 December 2019 in The Hub, Manor Avenue AB16 7UR to inform the local community on upcoming work, future plans for traffic management and to provide general information on the progress of the project.

'Meet the contractor' event – May 2019

Farrans Construction held a ‘Meet the contractor’ event on Wednesday 22 May 2019 in The Hub, Manor Avenue AB16 7UR.

Project staff were available to provide information on plans for the construction of the project and answer any queries.

Local nursery bids a fond farewell

Staff and children, both past and present, were on hand to witness the demolition of their former nursery in Aberdeen this week.

The building which was once home to Middlefield Community Project Nursery was demolished as part of ongoing works being carried out in preparation for the A90/A96 Haudagain Improvement Project.

Last year, the nursery relocated to a purpose-built facility within the Hub which has provided a number of additional benefits and improvements for the children including larger, open-plan space and better access to the outdoors. Despite the improved quality of care and facilities, staff and children - both former and present - felt a tinge of sadness that their former premises for over 20 years was to be demolished.

When the nursery contacted us, we and our demolition contractors, George Beattie and Sons Ltd were only too pleased to be able to accommodate a request for the nursery to visit the site and watch the demolition of the building.

Marie Macdonald, Nursery Manager at the Middlefield Community Project said:

“A big thank you to everyone that came yesterday to see the old nursery gradually go. It was lovely to share memories and speak to people who remembered the building fondly.

A big thank you also to everyone at Jacobs, George Beattie and Sons Ltd and Transport Scotland for being so helpful in keeping us updated, giving the children and staff high visibility vests to wear, hats, sweets, stickers and drinks. Also for getting and bringing up our old Project sign which we can put in our new building somewhere, as a reminder of the old place. Your generosity was very thoughtful and made the afternoon feel like a really nice shared experience for all involved.”

Work on this key improvement got underway in July when Transport Scotland’s demolition contractors, George Beattie and Sons Ltd started work to clear the site. Work to demolish the 30 buildings is progressing steadily in preparation for construction of the new road. Alan Beattie, George Beattie and Sons Ltd said:

“We are proud to be part of such a prestigious scheme, and were delighted to meet with Nursery Staff and children, past and present. It was a pleasure and hopefully we shall continue to form good relationships within the community. We wish the staff and children great success and happiness in their new premises.”

Emily Alfred, Project Manager for the Haudagain Improvement for Transport Scotland said:

“The demolition of the building which was once home to the Middlefield Nursery marks a nostalgic moment in progressing this vital scheme to reduce congestion and improve journey times for the people of Aberdeen.”

With the sign at the demolition

Made Orders

Scheme History

A Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) report was published in July 2008 and identified the preferred option to solve the problem, which was to build a new link road through the Middlefield area. This was identified as 'option 5' in the STAG report.

Transport Scotland appointed Jacobs UK Limited in May 2013 as design consultants for the A92/A96 Haudagain Improvement. Jacobs published a Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 2 report in June 2014 which confirmed that option 5 was still the preferred option and that it continues to work effectively with the current development proposals.

Following publication of draft Orders on 26 June 2015 and consideration of representations received, Scottish Ministers advised that they were content to proceed with publication of Made Orders on Friday 17 February 2017. No challenges were received within the challenge period to the publication of the Made Orders.

Draft road Orders and accompanying Environmental Statement were published on Friday 26 June 2015.

Made Orders for the scheme were published on Friday 17 February 2017.

The A90 & A96 Trunk Roads (Haudagain Improvement) (Side Roads) Order 2017

The A90 & A96 Trunk Roads (Middlefield Place to Auchmill Terrace) Detrunking Order 2017

The A90 Trunk Road (Charleston to Blackdog) Detrunking (Variation) Order 2017

The A96 Trunk Road (Dyce Drive to Haudagain Roundabout) Detrunking (Variation) Order 2017

The A90 & A96 Trunk Roads (Haudagain Improvement) Compulsory Purchase Order 2017

The A90 & A96 Haudagain Improvement Scheme Open Space Exchange Proposals

The A90/A96 Haudagain Improvement Environmental Statement - Decision to proceed

A90/A96 Haudagain Improvement Environmental Statement

A90/A96 Haudagain Improvement Environmental Statement – Non-Technical Summary