With thanks to Ann-Marie Parry, Parliamentary Assistant, Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP
Aberdeenshire East MSP Alex Salmond and North East MSP Christian Allard have welcomed the start of construction work on the £745 million Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty road project today.
Construction will support around 1,500 jobs and over 100 apprenticeships, graduate places, and other training opportunities.
The scheme will be delivered in stages, with completion expected in winter 2017, around six months ahead of schedule.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the beginning of the work at Balmedie, one of the key communities to benefit from the AWPR, today.
Alex Salmond said:
“This is a brilliant day for residents all across the north-east of Scotland who will benefit from increased connectivity and shorter journey times.
“The construction of the AWPR is expected to create 1,500 jobs at its peak as well as 100 apprenticeships, graduate places and other training which means that young people will get valuable opportunities to enter the workplace.
“The AWPR will deliver much needed relief from the congestion in and around Aberdeen and I am delighted that sections of the road, such as the junctions around the Airport, will be finished as early as next year.
“With an estimated £6 billion of investment and 14,000 jobs expected to be created in the north-east over the next thirty years, it is clear that the AWPR will help to boost business and keep Aberdeen internationally competitive.”
Christian Allard (pictured) said:
“I am delighted that construction work on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is now underway as this will have a huge impact on the road network in the north-east of Scotland.
“Not only will journey times greatly improve but construction will bring thousands of jobs to the region.
“With this £745 million development underway and expected to be complete 6 months ahead of schedule this Scottish Government is clearly committed to delivering for the north-east.”
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Short term gain as usual, while public transport gets worse, people living further from work, future congestion,pollution and industrialisation of our countryside, not everyone sees it as a good deal for the NE
or for the future
Couldn’t agree more John. This was an ideal opportunity to investigate radical ways of improving the North East transport infrastructure, including rail services to the west and north. The only guarantees that new roads bring are, as you say, more congestion, longer commuting times and more pollution.
This road is being built, not to ease congestion, but to provide a “development corridor” for the usual suspects to bless us with their beautiful housing and commercial developments.
Once again, Alex Salmond and Christian Allard make claims which, in my view, cannot be explained by mere ignorance and ineptitude and I therefore conclude that they are, once again, deliberately misleading the public for short – term political gain.
Thirded.