Aberdeen Airport road plans to be made clearer
24.03.06
Engineers yesterday attempted to ease the fears of homeowners in a suburb set to be split by a new road that will link Stonehaven with Aberdeen Airport. The route is set to reduce road accidents by one a week and ease congestion by drawing thousands of drivers away from the city centre, Transport Scotland claimed.
An estimated £395million will be spent on the Western Peripheral route, with the aim to help cure Aberdeen's chronic traffic problems. However, the new road will cut a swathe through Millitimber - and the original plans showed a 3 mile corridor where it could be built, causing major concern for hundreds of residents.
Community groups had pledged to fight the route - announced in December by Transport Minister Tavish Scott. But engineers yesterday said plans to go on show next month will see the 3 mile wide corridor, in which 7 routes are being considered, narrowed to about 300 metres.
The road will link Stonehaven in the south with Aberdeen Airport at Dyce and the north of the city. The current journey time of 63 minutes from Stonehaven to Dyce will be slashed to just 28 when the route is finished.
Work could begin in 2009 with the first vehicles using it by December 2011. Officials say it will take more than 43,000 cars a day off the city's congested roads and Aberdeen Airport bosses claim the road could bring an extra 200,000 passengers a year. Transport Scotland are preparing for a public inquiry that could take 18 months to come to a final decision.
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