Access from the South – Bridge of Dee – study moves forward

24 January 2017

Plans for new access from the south in the Bridge of Dee area were agreed today to be reviewed about six months after the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) opens to assess changes in traffic patterns.

Aberdeen City Council’s Communities, Housing and Infrastructure committee made the decision after considering a report on the Bridge of Dee Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) Part 2 Appraisal which included public and other stakeholder engagement.

The committee agreed the recommendation in the report that a review of the concepts under consideration should be carried out at a suitable period after the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route to enable any changes in traffic patterns to be accurately assessed.

It also agreed the indicative costs of the options are brought up to date, and that engagement continues with key stakeholders including Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans.

The options put forward are:

Concept 6: new upstream crossing with additional Non Motorised User (NMU) crossing adjacent to a reconfigured existing Bridge of Dee; Concept 6B: as Concept 6, with additional link from Garthdee Road/Inchgarth Road to A93 North Deeside Road; Concept 7: new crossing adjacent to existing Bridge of Dee.

The committee further agreed that officers look into the option of a four-lane bridge instead of a six-lane bridge which is currently an option, and all the options are to be brought before the Council’s Budget meeting on 22 February.

Aberdeen City Council Communities, Housing and Infrastructure convener Councillor Neil Cooney said: “It is good that progress is being made on the options for the south of the city access at the Bridge of Dee.

“We welcome the committee’s decision to wait until after the AWPR opens before considering the next move, as the way traffic moves about the city may change considerably when the AWPR opens.”

The report considered by the committee said the scheme costs at 2010 prices were Option 6 from £62m to £86m, Option 6B from £71m to £96m, and Option 7 from £71m to £89m.

The report explained that there is, on balance, public support for Concept 7, whereas there is, on balance, public opposition to Concepts 6 and 6B. In terms of cumulative environmental impact, Concept 7 is considered to perform marginally more favourably than Concepts 6 and 6B.

The report said Historic Environment Scotland has indicated it recognises the need for improvements in road network capacity in the Bridge of Dee area, and would not object to Concept 7 if there is a clear rationale to support that decision.

Historic Scotland said it would support holding a design competition to seek bridge designs which offer a high quality solution within the setting adjacent to the Bridge of Dee, recognising other constraints, including the status of the River Dee as a Special Area of Conservation.