£24m boost for new junction in Scotland

The Scottish government has announced £24 million worth of funding to take forward the design and construction of a new junction on the A90 in Aberdeenshire.

Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown was in Aberdeen to welcome the news as part of a package of transport commitments for the north east.

The funding will initially allow Transport Scotland to progress the design phases of the junction upgrade, taking the design through Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Stages 2 (route option assessment) and 3 (development of preferred junction option), to the preparation of draft road orders.

Mr Brown said: “A grade-separated junction at Laurencekirk has been a long-standing commitment of the Scottish government. We have been working hard with the two local authorities and Nestrans to deliver this much-needed scheme for the people of the north east as soon as possible.

“This significant funding boost for the scheme is a major step forward and we will now take forward the design work. There is still a lot of development work to be carried out and we will continue to work together with our partners to deliver this scheme as soon as possible bringing improved road safety and economic benefits to road users and the local community in Laurencekirk and the north Angus area.”