Aberdeen Bypass Route Announced

[Gav]

The underpass would be ample to pass three lanes under in two carriageways - one as a slip from the A90 to the A90. The other as a local 2 lane road. enough room to get the curve with the railway and the slip road through. Then one bridge approx where the main roundabout is.

Result free flow achieved.

[B9127]

Without taking account of the old A90 being closed due to an incident - driving north from Dundee what is the advantage of using the By-Pass and the Fastlink to the harbour as oppossed to just keeping on to the harbour using the old A90

[rileyrob]

I've finally driven all of the AWPR section this weekend, but not the Fastlink down to Stonehaven - the Cairn o'Mount was more fun! But what a rollercoaster it is! I hadn't realised it went over quite so many hills, even from looking at the maps.

There are some imaginary roadworks along the northern section between Craibstone and Blackdog. The outside lane is coned off and a 50 limit in place southbound (northbound looked like it still had two lanes) but nothing happening at all. It all seemed a bit odd, especially as half of Aberdeen seems to be coned off at the moment. Lots of work around King George VI Bridge, Queen Elizabeth Bridge and Bridge of Dee. Also lots of signs warning about roadworks elsewhere (the only one I recognised was North Anderson Drive, which is the A92, but I didn't find them).

[orudge]

Without taking account of the old A90 being closed due to an incident - driving north from Dundee what is the advantage of using the By-Pass and the Fastlink to the harbour as oppossed to just keeping on to the harbour using the old A90

I don’t think there is much advantage generally, except that it’s a higher quality of road (no central reservation gaps, Muchalls bends etc).

I’m sure I saw plans early in this thread which showed a fork was considered for the Cleanhill roundabout, which would have only allowed access between the A956 and the A90 to the north (not the fastlink), but the roundabout was chosen because it was cheaper and also offered a diversion route. So I don’t think it’s expected that folk will drive from Stonehaven to Cleanhill then along the A956 (otherwise they might as well have detrunked the A92 and physically diverted the A90 mainline up the AWPR).

[orudge]

I've finally driven all of the AWPR section this weekend, but not the Fastlink down to Stonehaven - the Cairn o'Mount was more fun! But what a rollercoaster it is! I hadn't realised it went over quite so many hills, even from looking at the maps.

It is a bit of a workout for sure. The Fastlink too starts off very steeply coming out of Stonehaven (similar to the A90 heading north from Dundee), which resulted in stuck lorries and similar fun during a snowy period a couple of months ago.

Aberdeen seems to be roadwork city at the moment, and to be fair Aberdeenshire Council (and the utility companies) seem to have been busy out here too, with minor repairs, levelling manholes and other such things. Not sure quite what they’re doing on the AWPR as I haven’t been up that way in a while, it still feels like the road’s only been open for a year or so but I guess it’s getting on for 5 years for that northernmost section now.

[Truvelo]

I’m sure I saw plans early in this thread which showed a fork was considered for the Cleanhill roundabout, which would have only allowed access between the A956 and the A90 to the north (not the fastlink),

Yes, and another option was a dumbbell which also allowed the same limited movements.

[orudge]

A Euro Garages service station has apparently been approved next to the Stonehaven AWPR junction, adding an extra exit into the roundabout. While I have no real objection to the services themselves, jamming them into this junction doesn't seem very sensible to me (but then this junction never seemed very sensible either).

[Truvelo]

A Euro Garages service station has apparently been approved next to the Stonehaven AWPR junction, adding an extra exit into the roundabout. While I have no real objection to the services themselves, jamming them into this junction doesn't seem very sensible to me (but then this junction never seemed very sensible either).

They'd been better off building it at Cleanhill. That roundabout is just crying out for a fourth arm on the western side.

[orudge]

I don’t think I noticed this before, but there are also plans proposed for a “Stonehaven Gateway”, with access off the same roundabout (on the B979). This would comprise a couple of food retailers plus 16 300kW EV chargers. No planning application has been submitted yet though. The Euro Garages proposal includes something like 12 EV chargers too. (A Morrisons store with some rapid chargers is also planned fairly nearby, though access is I think from the A957 instead.)

The facilities will be handy, but if both of these proposals are actually approved and built, I expect that roundabout will suffer.