A new bridge over the River Dee could cost up to £70million, it has emerged.
Aberdeen City Council unveiled plans for the project last week, which will be put out to public consultation for a month.
A document to be included in the public exhibition places the cost of the venture at between £40million and £70million.
The local authority has tabled three designs all of which retain the 16th-century Bridge of Dee as a crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.
Concept 6 would involve a new dual carriageway link road between Garthdee Road and the A90 Aberdeen-Dundee route.
This option, which includes a cable bridge, improvements to Garthdee Road to allow two lanes in both directions, and the widening of the existing Bridge of Dee road, would cost between £40million and £65million.
Concept 6B which is the same as concept 6 with the addition of a new link road between Inchgarth Road and the A93 North Deeside Road, would cost between £45million and £70million.
Concept 7 – a new arch bridge with junction improvements and single carriageway link road between Leggart Terrace and the A90 – could cost between £40million and £60million.
Yesterday the city council’s finance convener Willie Young said a new crossing was “something that needed to be done”.
He added: “If you want to have proper infrastructure you are going to have to pay for it.
“There is no doubt about that.
“But the benefits of a new crossing over the Dee are there for more than just the city of Aberdeen, it is for the whole region, so the costs should not lie solely with Aberdeen City Council.
“It is only right and proper that when something is vital to the whole region, that we all sit down together to discuss where the funding will come from.
“I would hope that the Scottish Government would be receptive to helping us because it is a project that is vital to the economic health of the region.”
Mr Young said compulsory purchase orders were likely to be involved which would be reflected in the projected costs.
The consultation material is available to view on Aberdeen City Council’s website and exhibitions are to be held at Inchgarth Community Centre, tomorrow, from noon-8pm, and at South Holburn Church on Wednesday, also noon-8pm.
The consultation runs from May 17 to June 17.
