Motorists could suffer another three years of gridlock around an Aberdeenshire town before plans to end the misery are unveiled.
Traffic chiefs last night revealed the preferred plan for the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road, around Inverurie, may not be selected until early 2019.
Queues of traffic frequently line the dual carriageway at the main entrance to Inverurie, and locals have repeatedly called for an eastern bypass to be created to ease congestion.
Planning chiefs and councillors have also rejected major developments for the town and surrounding area – such as the Thainstone Mart – amid concerns about the pressure they would put on the already clogged roads.
Last night, one senior Garioch councillor urged Transport Scotland to “share their thinking” on the plans to dual the A96 around the town.
Three options are currently being considered by the body for the “eastern section” of the route.
One of the proposals, Option C, is a dual carriageway between Blackburn to just north of Huntly, passing to the west of Inverurie and close to the Bennachie Forest.
Another, Option D, is a smaller eastern bypass connecting Inverurie and the Glens of Foudland.
Both schemes would be delivered in accordance with Option B, which largely follows the current A96 route with route changes around Inverurie, Elgin and Forres.
However last night Transport Scotland said it could be early 2019 before a preferred route is selected.
Chairman of the Garioch area committee and local councillor, Fergus Hood, claimed both residents and the local authority were being left in the dark.
He added that major planning decisions for the Inverurie area are being made harder for councillors without knowing the future of the A96.
Mr Hood, said: “Clearly we need to know. The lack of information is building uncertainty. If Transport Scotland would come forward and at least share their thinking with the council, and also with the councillors in the area what the likely scenario might be, then it would give us as local decision-makers something to work on.
“We can’t simply ignore that the traffic system is becoming gridlocked in the Inverurie area. We can’t simply add more and more capacity to the network when it is already at capacity.
“Certainly from our point of view as elected members we are not getting this information, it is difficult to make these local planning decisions where we have to try and think ahead.
“We need Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government to come forward and tell us what they want to do.
“All we know is there is an aspiration to dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness. What we need is certainty to enable us to make our decisions.”
The A96’s congestion issues factored in the decision to refuse planning permission for the expansion of the Thainstone Business Park last month.
Inverurie councillor Bryan Stuart, said: “Obviously they do need to look at all the options so it is a level playing field. The advantages of going east are overwhelming.
“It would improve access for people using the A947 too. We don’t want it to go anywhere near Bennachie and it has got to be clear of Keith Hall.”
Fiona Peebles, chairwoman of Inverurie and District Community Council, called for a decision to be made “sooner” than 2019.
She added: “The community and community council have been saying for years it should be an eastern bypass and that is what everybody is standing by, but it is whether they’ll get it or not.
“It would solve a lot of the problems such as the town centre from being gridlocked.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We are currently at the very early stages of the dualling design and assessment process for the section of the A96 east of Huntly to Aberdeen (eastern section).
“Route options for the eastern section will be developed at the next stage of the design and assessment process which is planned to start following the appointment of design consultants early next year and will take around 24 months to complete.”
He added that when complete, the dualled A96 would bring “improved journey time and reliability, improved connectivity and improved road safety”.
He added the Scottish Government is “the first administration to commit to dualling the entire route”, and that further consultations would be held at a later date.
