Roads bosses have warned of a month of traffic chaos at a notorious Aberdeen bottleneck as work begins on a £50million fix.
From Monday, one lane will be closed at the Haudagain roundabout for four weeks to aid construction of a link road bypassing the pinch point.
The roundabout was once branded the worst in Europe and it is hoped the new stretch, connecting North Anderson Drive with Auchmill Road, will alleviate some of the regular rush hour jams.
Transport Scotland says the move, affecting one southbound lane of North Anderson Drive on its approach to the Haudagain, is necessary in order to keep workers safe.
In addition, its junction with Clifton Road will be shut for approximately one week.
Diversions will be in place, but Aberdeen City Council roads spokeswoman Sandra Macdonald has urged motorists to avoid the area.
She said: “Not everybody can, but there are certainly going to be some difficulties there over the next while so hopefully people can find alternate routes or use public transport.
“This has been a long time in the making and the link road will definitely help here, as has the building of the AWPR.”
The new road, which was first suggested more than 15 years ago, has been designed to ease congestion and reduce journey times.
It will allow motorists to travel between North Anderson Drive and Auchmill Road without having to cross the Haudagain roundabout, which deals with traffic on the A92 Stonehaven to Blackdog road and the A96 between Aberdeen to Inverness.
In preparation for the work, hundreds of homes in the path of the road were demolished last year.
It has been suggested that new houses and a supermarket could be built on the remaining land, which has been dubbed the Middlefield Triangle.
Originally budgeted as a £14m project, it rose to £35m and the total bill now stands at £49.5m. It is due for completion in spring 2021.
Aberdeen Donside MSP Mark McDonald said: “While this work will undoubtedly cause short-term inconvenience, the improved Haudagain junction will bring long term benefits to residents and businesses alike.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “It is anticipated that this work will cause a delay at peak times and we would advise that you allow more time for your journey and consider alternative routes where possible.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank the public for their patience and continued co-operation.”
Further works have also been announced for the Mounthooly roundabout in the city next month.
Its outside lane will be closed between 7.30am on Monday, February 17 and 3.30pm on Friday, February 21 to allow council workers to replace streetlights.
