Road improvement scheme for key city centre route

27 September 2019

A road improvement scheme that will pave the way for the continuing transformation of the city centre has been given the green light by Aberdeen City councillors.

The Council’s City Growth and Resources Committee approved the South College Street Junction Improvements Project.

Following the adoption of the new North East Scotland Roads Hierarchy earlier this year, South College Street will provide a key route to the city centre.

Palmerston Place is to be extended eastwards to connect South College Street with North Esplanade West, boosting junction capacity with an additional traffic lane along South College Street between Wellington Place and Bank Street.

The committee backed the business case for the South College Street corridor improvement, which will now go out to tender.

Following approval of a preferred option, the scope has also been extended to cover utility diversions, additional areas of carriageway reconstruction, and environmental mitigation.

Going forward, detailed costs and programme updates will be brought back to committee. The project is scheduled for completion in Autumn 2021.

The work will help deliver Phase 2 of the City Centre Masterplan, a 25-year regeneration programme adopted by the Council in 2015. Projects to date have included the redevelopment of Aberdeen Art Gallery (due to reopen in November) and the transformation of Union Terrace Gardens (work started this month) and Provost Skene’s House (again started this month).

Upgrading the South College Street corridor will enable the city centre to accommodate general traffic, whilst allowing future public realm improvements to proceed.