Councils could be forced to pay millions of pounds to repair roads damaged by the construction of the Aberdeen bypass.
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils have already contributed towards the cost of the bypass, with payments capped at £75million each.
But fears have now been raised that the authorities could now be faced with paying out millions more to repair the damage caused by heavy goods vehicles during the works.
Last month, Transport Minister Humza Yousaf last month met residents who had been disrupted by the project, and was quizzed over who would pay up.
He indicated it would be up to the authorities to negotiate with the Scottish Government as part of the latest local government budget, which was recently approved.
North East MSP Ross Thomson has raised concerns this means both councils could end up having to stump up the cash for the damage caused by contractors, Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL).
He has now tabled a parliamentary question to clarify who is responsible for funding any necessary repairs.
He said: “Given the scarce financial resources available – and further cuts to come – our local authorities simply won’t have the funds to cover the costs which could run to several million pounds.
“We all know the value that the AWPR will bring to the north-east and to our economy, but we have said consistently that we cannot have development at any cost and people in rural areas do not want to be left with a legacy of damaged local roads.
“This is an issue that will affect both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils, as construction traffic has used roads across the boundary.
“I think this is a matter that needs to be addressed now, rather than waiting until the road is completed and it is something that both local councils and the Scottish Government should be addressing urgently.”
The city council’s transport spokesman last night shared Mr Thomson’s concerns.
Ross Grant, convener of regeneration and transport, said: “The minister must face facts, both Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are investing £75million each into the AWPR and as such we expect the Scottish Government to honour its agreement with both
councils to ensure any defects caused by works attributed to the AWPR are fixed within the £150million contribution given by the councils.”
Last night, Aberdeenshire Council’s administration said they had already secured a deal to fix any routes affected.
The Press and Journal understands the authority will contribute about 40% of the cost of the work, which is being carried out by Lightways Contractors Ltd.
Council co-leader Alison Evison said: “Unfortunately it did take a long time for an agreement about repairing the roads to be reached between Aberdeenshire Council and the AWPR Construction Joint Venture. However an agreement is now in place.”
Ms Evison was unable to confirm the cost of the repair work citing confidentiality rules.
Last night, Transport Scotland said any ancillary repair costs were the responsibility of the contractor and the local authorities.
A spokesman said: “As is normal practice across construction projects, haulage routes for the AWPR project are agreed between the contractor, ARL, and the relevant local authority, Aberdeen City or Aberdeenshire Council. Any liability for damage to these roads is a matter for the contractor, ARL, and the relevant local authority.
“The transport minister’s comments made during the meeting with local residents at Cults Parish Church, reflected the ongoing process of agreeing the Scottish budget and the local government settlement that was ongoing at the time.”
