Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed that it has made a technical objection to an element of the proposed Laurencekirk flyover.
The spot between the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee route and the A937 Laurencekirk to Montrose route has been the site of accidents and near-misses over the years.
Safety campaigners have been calling for improvements for more than 15 years.
It had been hoped the new junction would be in place by 2022 but there are fears a handful of objections could force a public inquiry.
‘Life-saving’ Laurencekirk flyover could be held up for years by just four objections
Now, Aberdeenshire Council have revealed they have made a technical objection to Transport Scotland’s plans.
One of the ‘Side Road Orders’ being discussed as part of the scheme seeks to close an existing junction on to the A90 trunk road to the south of Oatyhill.
For properties and farms sited on the stretch of the former trunk road in this area, future access would then become entirely dependent on the continued un-restricted availability of the Oatyhill railway bridge.
Council officers have decided there would be risk in developing the Laurencekirk Junction scheme based on an assumption of long-term unrestricted availability of the 170-year-old bridge.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Head of Transportation, Ewan Wallace, said: “With the implementation of the trunk road scheme as currently proposed, closure of the Oatyhill Junction risked isolating properties if any form of future restriction was required – as now demonstrated following the emergency closure of the bridge.
“As a council, we are committed to seeing the Laurencekirk Grade Separated Junction delivered in a timely way.
“We will continue to work with Transport Scotland and their consultants to develop options, and work towards a solution which retains resilient long-term access for the properties identified at Oatyhill.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We received a number of objections to the proposals and continue to negotiate with objectors to try and resolve concerns where possible.
“These objections include one from Aberdeenshire Council in relation to the local road network. We continue to liaise positively with the council on their objection.”
