New plan for city bypass unveiled

North leg (orange), south (green), fast link (purple) and junctions

Changes to plans for the proposed Aberdeen bypass have been published - including a reduction in the number of houses to be demolished.

The revisions follow what is claimed to be the largest ecological survey ever undertaken for a road scheme in the UK.

Among them is the reduction in the number of residential homes that will need to be knocked down to make way for the road - from 15 to 13.

The consultation period will close on 26 October.

Proposals for a junction at South Kirkhill have been dropped.

'Important milestone'

The plans also reveal for the first time how roads will pass over or under the dual carriageway.

The publication of the draft orders marks the start of a second consultation over the road, and a further round of public exhibitions will also begin next month.

A completion date of 2012 has been targeted for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).

Transport Scotland's project manager for the AWPR, Graham Edmond, said "Today's publication is another important milestone in the development of the route.

"Many months of work have gone into refining these junctions to ensure that they are efficient in terms of traffic flow, cost effective and safe.

"We look forward to welcoming people to the exhibitions again where they will be able to review all of the information and put questions to the project team."