It could cost as much as £140million to upgrade the A90 Peterhead and Ellon stretch to a dual carriageway, campaigners have claimed.
A rough estimate based on similar large-scale projects have put the price at around £10million per mile.
Although hardly pocket-change by any government’s standards, it is not completely out of reach.
Transport Scotland has already pledged to spend substantially more – £3billion – dualling the much larger A9 Perth-Inverness by 2025.
And the Scottish Government recently spent £140million on a new prison at Peterhead.
HMP Grampian, which replaces the town’s old jail and Craiginches in Aberdeen, is in itself a good argument for a faster north-east commuter route because it means a rise in traffic to and from the town.
But those fighting for improvements to the trunk road have said, despite the relatively high cost, it will be money well spent.
Peterhead councillor Tom Malone said: “I know there are some who will argue that we should have spent the money on the dual carriageway instead of a new prison.
“Obviously, that argument is flawed because the money comes from completely different budgets, but it shows the high level of feeling there is.”
Earlier this year, Mr Malone joined forces with fellow Peterhead councillor Alan Gardiner and Ellon member Gillian Owen to campaign for a dual carriageway.
They accused the Scottish Government of neglecting the north-east corner in favour of high profile central belt projects.
The three councillors mounted their drive after it emerged that, despite guidance from local transport body Nestrans, the A90 plans were omitted from the Scottish Government’s national planning framework proposal.
Their campaign – Why Stop at Ellon? – was recently launched on social media and has attracted hundreds of followers within a matter of days.
“When you look at how Peterhead supports the oil and fishing industry, there is definite justification there for a dual carriageway,” he said.
“In the Peterhead area there is ongoing construction and pending plans for thousands of new houses, yet we still have this single track road. It doesn’t make much sense.”
Campaigners also argue that upgrading the trunk road will be a massive boost for safety.
In the last 15 years, 10 people have lost their lives on the Peterhead-Ellon stretch. The average age of the victims is 31.
Mr Malone said: “With a dual carriageway, you will take away one of the main factors in these serious accidents: driver frustration.
“People won’t get stuck behind harbour lorries and farm vehicles, because it would be safe to overtake them.
“I’d say a dual carriageway would certainly be safer than what we’ve got at the moment.”
Resident Anthony Wing, who lives on the A90, also called for action after a spate of recent accidents on the stretch of road outside his home, just south of Peterhead.
Mr Wing, a representative of the Motorcycle Action Group, said: “I’ve lived here for eight years and in that time we’ve seen three fatal accidents.
“It is happening way too often and nothing is being done about it.”
The last major improvement for the Peterhead-Ellon stretch was work to straighten out the once notorious Hatton bends.
Work on the accident blackspot, some eight miles from Peterhead, began in November 2005 and finished in February 2007.
But there had been calls to fix the famously twisty route more than 30 years earlier.
When he launched the new look “Hatton straight”, the then transport minister Tavish Scott said: “The A90 is a key route for business, commuters and local people and the completion of this scheme will improve safety and reduce journey times for all who use it.”
Although the improved section was welcomed by Alex Salmond, who was MP for the area at the time, he said at the opening ceremony that more needed to be done.
“We need a proper link between Buchan and the rest of the country to match the industrial importance and potential of our area,” he said.