Aberdeen Bypass Route Announced

[Haydn1971]

Just looking at the plans today... it's a disappointing collection of future accident remedial sites !

Many of the grade seperated junctions seem to have been designed with turning traffic conflicts, surely this shouldn't get through a Road Safety Audit ?????

In particular...

Stonehaven - the southern side of the junction is a crossroads (signals?) and the north to south traffic have to cross each other in a similar manner to the disaster at M40-J10 - tailbacks onto the A90 at peak times ?

Cleanhill - erm, seems ths transport model can't establish which is the likely priority move, so bang a roundabout in till we know for sure...

Charleston - Right turns across a 70mph road - yeah great design !

Milltimber - again, lets introduce turn conflicts and copy M40-J10

South Kingswell - ah, seems as though the design team had their weetabix this morning !

North Kingswell - ok, so I can live with this one too...

Craibstone - I can't live with this one.... right turn conflicts on the grade seperated bit at a major traffic generator like an airport... for gawds sake !!!!! Future proofed the roundabout for signals though ;¬)

Goval - an object lesson in how to use as much new road as possible in a junction to little effect... sorry, my head is bleeding from banging it on the table !

Blackdog - on the experience of the rest of the route, it could be a lot worse !!!

It does strike me that the mainline should have passed around the city, rather than having to turn off, but perhaps this is in appeasement to traders and elected members scared that tourists would pass by rather than call in.... any thoughts on that ???

[Truvelo]

The Stonehaven junction needs to have the new road freeflowing to the A90 south much like the A12/A120 to the north of Colchester.

[novaecosse]

I have a feeling the road will be called the A90(M)... what else could it be called?

A90.
The existing trunk road will be de-trunked, so the old A90 could potentially be renumbered to A92.

[novaecosse]

It does strike me that the mainline should have passed around the city, rather than having to turn off, but perhaps this is in appeasement to traders and elected members scared that tourists would pass by rather than call in.... any thoughts on that ???

The Stonehaven "Fastlink" was orginally touted to be an S2 or S2+1, which was changed for a D2 after protests.
I get the feeling the junction layout hasn't changed to incorporate a dual... maybe just a slightly bigger roundabout!

What I don't full get about the Stonehaven junction layout is why have a southbound off-slip from the existing A90? I mean you can't access the B979 as it stands just now. Plus if you wanted to go into Stonehaven you would already have left at the previous junction!

[SuperLez]

It does strike me that the mainline should have passed around the city, rather than having to turn off, but perhaps this is in appeasement to traders and elected members scared that tourists would pass by rather than call in.... any thoughts on that ???

The Stonehaven "Fastlink" was orginally touted to be an S2 or S2+1, which was changed for a D2 after protests.
I get the feeling the junction layout hasn't changed to incorporate a dual... maybe just a slightly bigger roundabout!

What I don't full get about the Stonehaven junction layout is why have a southbound off-slip from the existing A90? I mean you can't access the B979 as it stands just now. Plus if you wanted to go into Stonehaven you would already have left at the previous junction!

The Stonehaven bypass as it stands is full of life's little mysteries.....

If travelling s/bound on the B979, you have to go through the town if you're heading for the A90 or A92!

Even more shamefully, what about the complete lack of access east of Spurryhillock onto the A957? If heading for Royal Deeside from the south, once again you have to go right through the town. Why is there no GSJ onto the A957 at this point??

[SuperLez]

I have a feeling the road will be called the A90(M)... what else could it be called?

A90.
The existing trunk road will be de-trunked, so the old A90 could potentially be renumbered to A92.

I've mentioned the possibility of the A92 returning to its rightful place of being the main road into Aberdeen before. There's no doubt that this will happen when the bypass is finally opened - the big question has to be about what route it will assume once it hits the Bridge of Dee. Will it head over the bridge and up Anderson Drive like it did in its latter days or is it destined to head along Great Southern Road and Holburn Street and onto Union Street like in the good old days? I myself prefer the latter option.....

[sheeldz]

Actually, that makes alot of sense, and will work the best. A92 from Dundee to Aberdeen again... lovely.

[novaecosse]

Even more shamefully, what about the complete lack of access east of Spurryhillock onto the A957? If heading for Royal Deeside from the south, once again you have to go right through the town. Why is there no GSJ onto the A957 at this point??

Spurryhillock Junction is a bit disjointed as it stands.
There is a short way onto the A957 Slug Road, from Spurryhillock via Broomhill Road, Kirkton Road and Farrochie Road onto the Slug.
But if I'm heading Banchory direction and the weather's decent (and their isn't a biker wrapped round a tree ) then I'd head over the Cairn O' Mount

[matt-thepie]

Aberdeen City Council have evidently decided that the AWPR is built already. At mounthooly several green direction signs and RCSs on the A96 have been changed for white ones. The same has happened on the A956 at exhibition centre....

[Stevie D]

Slip roads have to be two lanes wide due to road design standards but as it's now politically incorrect to have vehicles overtaking the modern trend is to have a hard shoulder and one running lane. This is especially true on entry slips. Not only does this reduce capacity and cause frustration, but as Flyingscot says, the hard shoulder tends to be used for casual parking or somewhere to park whilst using a mobile phone.

And yet on entry slips, it is often far safer to overtake on the slip road and get up to 60-70mph than to follow a slow vehicle trying to merge at 50mph...

[novaecosse]

Aberdeen City Council have evidently decided that the AWPR is built already. At mounthooly several green direction signs and RCSs on the A96 have been changed for white ones. The same has happened on the A956 at exhibition centre....

The A96 east of Haudagain Roundabout into Aberdeen City Centre is not a trunk road. Neither is the A956 at the Exhibition Centre.

So I guess ACC are finally getting round to renew these signs.

[matt-thepie]

The A96 is, at mounthooly. Well it is according to google and streetmap, I am not sure the detrunking orders for the AWPR were through yet.

At present, the NEW RCS signs are white, with the road number, A96, in a green patch. So go figure.

[novaecosse]

The A96 is, at mounthooly. Well it is according to google and streetmap, I am not sure the detrunking orders for the AWPR were through yet.

At present, the NEW RCS signs are white, with the road number, A96, in a green patch. So go figure.

Google and Streetmap show both primary routes and trunk roads as green.
The best way to find out which roads are trunk, is to ask a trunk road engineer

The AWPR detrunking orders have been drafted, but won't come into force until the AWPR opens. In any case the detrunking orders only affect the A90 through Aberdeen and the A96 from Haudagain Roundabout to its junction with the AWPR out at Dyce.

[novaecosse]

The Scottish Ministers have announced their will be a public enquiry...
BBC News article

They have also announced an email address for those who wish to object -
awprobjections@transportscotland.gsi.gov.uk
not that I'd expect anyone here to raise an objection?!

But as expected RoadSense have already made the address an intregal part of their website!

[cb a1]

They have also announced an email address for those who wish to object -
awprobjections@transportscotland.gsi.gov.uk

I'm sure I read a press article a few days ago that said that objections couldn't be submitted by email?

I guess Transport Scotland must have changed their mind on that one.

[Michael]

Speaking of Road Sense, has anyone had the pleasure of looking at their website? To directly quote...

We are asking members of our communities to support us with a minimum pledge of £150 per household.

There can only be one smiley -

But in all seriousness, it's quite amusing how vast amounts of the protestors have shut up since the preferred route was announced - is this because a lot of them now stand to gain considerably from having a house in an affluent area of Aberdeen with quick and easy access to the bypass? Cults and Culter is absolutely horrible to get to/from at any sort of speed - but now they'll be what, 20 minutes max from there to the Bridge of Don/Altens?

Dr Geider has also been very quiet since the routing avoided Camphill - I wonder, is this because the Camphill Estate is going to be worth an absolute fortune, given that it's close (but not too close) to the bypass?

[SuperLez]

Speaking of Road Sense, has anyone had the pleasure of looking at their website? To directly quote...

We are asking members of our communities to support us with a minimum pledge of £150 per household.

There can only be one smiley -

But in all seriousness, it's quite amusing how vast amounts of the protestors have shut up since the preferred route was announced - is this because a lot of them now stand to gain considerably from having a house in an affluent area of Aberdeen with quick and easy access to the bypass? Cults and Culter is absolutely horrible to get to/from at any sort of speed - but now they'll be what, 20 minutes max from there to the Bridge of Don/Altens?

Dr Geider has also been very quiet since the routing avoided Camphill - I wonder, is this because the Camphill Estate is going to be worth an absolute fortune, given that it's close (but not too close) to the bypass?

Many motorists from the villages of Cults, Bieldside, Milltimber and Culter of course use the likes of the back roads between Cults/Bieldside and Kingswells/Newhills to access Dyce and the Bridge of Don as things stand at the moment. There are a number of obvious pinch points along this route (Kingswells, the Newhills cemetary, Kirkhill, Pitmedden Rd, A947/B977 junction and B977/B997 crossroads) and a good portion of this route is downright dangerous. the only alternative seems to be Anderson Drive, Auchmill Rd and the Parkway - all operating way above capacity. This probably explains why there is at least some kind of quiet acceptance of the bypass in these areas - even if many of the roads off the proposed route would require significant upgrading for there to be any sort of meaningful benefit......

It is to be hoped that Dr Geider has gone quiet on the basis that the bypass isn't encroaching Camphill land. If he were to decide to sell the Camphill Estate to a developer on the basis of easy access to the bypass, he would IMO be committing a far bigger betrayal of residents' interests than any attempt by road builders to carve a virtual motorway through Camphill owned land.

[McDanger]

The trunk status of the A96 ends at the Haudagain Roundabout. The A956 through the City is also non-trunk. Many of the older green signs in Aberdeen have been disappearing recently especially along the A956 and A93 routes. There are still some signs on Holburn Street and Union Street and around the West North Street / King Street junction which read Peterhead (A92) and Dundee, Perth (A92, A94) which must surely be due for renewal.

[novaecosse]

The trunk status of the A96 ends at the Haudagain Roundabout.

You mean starts... its the A96 Aberdeen - Inverness Trunk Road

[bealach na ba]

The public inquiry has started, according to BBC News.