South College Street in Aberdeen will partly reopen to traffic next month after extensive closures — but more roadworks and diversions are on the way.
Plans to improve the busy and congested road, which takes motorists from Riverside Drive to Bridge Street in the city centre, have been proposed since 2004.
But work in the area only started last June, after Aberdeen City Council put out a £7 million contract for the first phase of the project.
Since then, South College Street has had traffic restrictions to allow for major roadworks between its junctions with Millburn Street and Wellington Place, causing lengthy diversions for travellers.
These roadworks are due to finish at some point in February, finally reopening that section of the road.
However, further closures are still on the horizon, and they are due to last until May.
What are the new roadworks and closures going to be at South College Street?
A spokeswoman for Aberdeen City Council said works on the project, which are being carried out by Aberdeenshire contractor WM Donald, are mostly proceeding as scheduled.
After the currently closed section of South College Street from Millburn Street to Wellington Place reopens in February, then a new closure is planned further south towards the railway bridge.
This new closure will extend along South College Street from its junction with Millburn Street, all the way to Riverside Drive and the Queen Elizabeth Roundabout.
It will last until May, and is due to start in February.
As well as this major road closure, a number of other traffic restrictions are coming soon to the area.
From tomorrow, South College Street at Wellington Place will be closed to eastbound traffic for two weeks.
And from February 6, South College Street will be shut to westbound traffic for a week at its junction with Wellington Place.
Starting in April, there will also be traffic restrictions on Riverside Drive, from the Queen Elizabeth Roundabout to the Wellington bridge.
What about access to businesses in the archways?
The area of South College Street which will be shut from February to May under the roadworks plans is home to a number of businesses in the railway archways, including gyms and an axe-throwing centre.
A spokeswoman for Aberdeen City Council said access will be maintained to these businesses “at all times via either Riverside Drive or Palmerston Place, albeit there may be short periods when access will be time limited”.
She added: “The contractor is obligated to liaise with the proprietors to ensure any inconvenience is limited as far as reasonably practicable.”
What are all these roadworks for?
Aberdeen City Council is carrying out all the roadworks in the area with the intention of easing traffic flow.
The multi-million pound project includes a large range of changes to the area, such as road-widening measures and new routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
Click on the red cameras on this interactive graphic to see an artist’s impressions of the changes:
The main changes include:
- Another traffic lane along South College Street from Bank Street to Wellington Place
- Another lane on Palmerston Place
- A new traffic signal-controlled junction between Palmerston Place and North Esplanade West
- Changes to parking and loading areas on South College Street from Millburn Street to Riverside Drive
- Alterations at the existing traffic light-controlled junctions between South College Street and Wellington Place, as well as the one further south between South College Street, Millburn Street and Palmerstone Place, which include new approach lanes.
The scheme is funded by both Aberdeen City Council, and a grant from the Scottish Government’s Bus Partnership Fund.
For more information on traffic measures, you can visit the contractor’s website.
The South College Street Improvement Works project is not part of the other council road changes in the city centre, such as the closure of the straight-ahead lane from Trinity Quay onto Guild Street for the bus priority route the local authority is creating.
However, works on both taking place at the same time has resulted in very long diversion routes for drivers.
More on upcoming bus gates, one-way systems and road closures in Aberdeen:
All you need to know about major Aberdeen road changes to avoid a fine
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