A90 road
{{Short description|Road in Scotland between Edinburgh and Fraserburgh via Dundee and Aberdeen}}
{{about|the Scottish road|the A90 motorway in Italy|Autostrada A90}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=March 2018}}
{{original research|date=March 2018}}
}}
{{Infobox road
| country = GBR
| type = A
| route = 90
| map = 200px
| map_custom = yes
| length_mi = 146
| direction_a = South
| direction_b = North
| terminus_a = Edinburgh
| destinations = Perth, Dundee, Forfar, Stonehaven, Aberdeen, Fraserburgh
| terminus_b = Fraserburgh
| junction = {{jct|country=GBR|M|9|dab1=Great Britain}}
{{jct|country=GBR|M|90|dab1=Great Britain}} spur
{{jct|country=GBR|A|902|name1= }}
{{jct|country=GBR|A|904|name1= }}
{{jct|country=GBR|A|972|name1= }}
{{jct|country=GBR|A|92|name1= }}
{{jct|country=GBR|A|96|name1= }}
| previous_type = A
| previous_route = 89
| next_type = A
| next_route = 91
}}
File:Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route at A96 junction (2020).jpg project that opened in 2018–19.]]
File:A90 road north of Dundee.JPG]]
File:A90 looking towards Aberdeen.jpg. Following the opening of the "Aberdeen Bypass", this now forms part of the A92.]]
The A90 road is a major north-to-south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh, through Dundee and Aberdeen.{{cite web |title=A90 Road |url=https://a90road.info/ |website=a90road |publisher=Transport Scotland |access-date=6 November 2021}} Along with the A9 and the A82 it is one of the three major north–south trunk roads connecting the Central Belt to northern destinations. The A90 is not continuous: there is a gap between Dalmeny and Perth, but the M90 connects those two places.
Background
The creation and development of the A90 road has to be understood in terms of the development of the economy of the North-East of Scotland, which had resulted in an increase in traffic along the route between Perth and Aberdeen.{{cite book |title=A90 Completion of Dualling – Perth to Aberdeen – 1994 |publisher=HMSO |page=3 |url=https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0i8cLFbHBfKM3RiSTlILTdwTVk/edit |access-date=17 August 2020}} In recognition of this, in 1979, the British government announced that it was giving priority to the upgrading of the route to dual carriageway standard. It had already been decided that the trunk route between Dundee and Stonehaven, which had previously followed the same route as the railway line between the two towns, would now follow an inland route through Forfar and Laurencekirk. The new route would incorporate the A85 from Perth to Dundee, the A929 between Dundee and Forfar, the A94 between Forfar and Stonehaven, and the A92 from Stonehaven to Aberdeen; in 1994, the confusion of numbers was resolved with the renumbering of these roads and the creation of the A90 (M90) Edinburgh to Aberdeen trunk road. The coastal route from Dundee to Stonehaven was detrunked in 1978, at the same time as the inland route was trunked.
History
In 1994, it was stated that £139 million had been spent since 1979 on upgrades to the then-A90 between Perth and Aberdeen (the section between Stonehaven and Aberdeen has since become part of the A92).{{cite book |title=A90 Completion of Dualling – Perth to Aberdeen – 1994 |publisher=HMSO |page=7 |url=https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0i8cLFbHBfKM3RiSTlILTdwTVk/edit |access-date=17 August 2020}}
A grade-separated junction at Longforgan was opened in 1996.{{Cite web|date=1997-01-23|title=Road Safety – A90 Forfar Bypass Junctions|url=https://archive.angus.gov.uk/ccmeetings/reports-committee1997/Roads/104.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-09|website=Angus Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609151244/https://archive.angus.gov.uk/ccmeetings/reports-committee1997/Roads/104.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2021 }}
The section of the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty was upgraded to dual carriageway in 2018.{{cite web|author=Gordon Liberal Democrats|title=Radcliffe and Bruce welcome A90 Victory|url=http://www.noraradcliffe.co.uk/news/000001.html|access-date=2007-09-08}}{{dead link|date=June 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}[http://transportscotland.gov.uk/projects/trunk-road-projects/a90-balmedie-to-tipperty-dualling-project Information on the Transport Scotland government site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212155317/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/projects/trunk-road-projects/a90-balmedie-to-tipperty-dualling-project|date=12 December 2013}} On 3 September 2018, the former section of the A90 between Stonehaven and Blackdog was renumbered A92 in preparation for the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, which became the new route of the A90.{{Cite web |date=2018-08-30 |title=AWPR – A90 to become the A92 next week |url=https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/awpr-a90-to-become-the-a92-next-week/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Transport Scotland}}
Route
From Edinburgh, the A90 travels west and connects to the M90 motorway bypass route that leads to the M9: however, it is only possible to travel northbound when reaching this connection. After connecting with the M90, it runs as a short section of A-road before turning into the M90 properly at the Queensferry Crossing. At Perth, beneath Kinnoull Hill, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee and through the Kingsway road system. It then passes Forfar, Brechin and Stracathro.
After crossing the Cowie Water just north of Stonehaven, a new junction, opened in 2019, reroutes the A90 road north as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), bypassing the city to its west past the suburban developments of Peterculter, Milltimber, Westhill and Kingswells, turning east past Aberdeen Airport and Dyce. The section of road previously part of the A90 was made part of the A92 and continues via Newtonhill, Portlethen, Cove Bay, the urban area of Aberdeen and the Bridge of Don before rejoining the A90 at Blackdog Junction, where the A'PRT terminates. Continuing north, the route crosses the Ythan Estuary near Ellon where it becomes a single carriageway, skirting Peterhead (and crossing Balmoor Bridge) on its way to Fraserburgh. The A952 road via Mintlaw is one of Aberdeenshire's principal freight routes.{{cite web |title=Freight Map, Aberdeenshire |url=https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/freightmapaberdeenshirelarge.pdf |website=Aberdeenshire Council |access-date=16 August 2020}}
The Dundee to Aberdeen stretch of the A90 has many speed cameras. Previously, the {{convert|60|mi|adj=on}} trip from Dundee to Aberdeen along the A90 entailed over a dozen speed cameras including a majority of fixed Gatso types as well as locations used by mobile camera vans. These cameras were found on long fast stretches of road, and shortly before dangerous junctions, such as at the Laurencekirk junction where a {{convert|50|mph|abbr=on}} speed limit is in force.{{Cite web|date=2020-01-30|title=Laurencekirk campaign to target A90 speeders|url=https://www.mearnsleader.co.uk/news/people/laurencekirk-campaign-target-a90-speeders-2011467|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-09|website=Mearns Leader|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609144839/https://www.mearnsleader.co.uk/news/people/laurencekirk-campaign-target-a90-speeders-2011467 |archive-date=9 June 2021 }} This was introduced due to this junction's appalling safety record. A similar speed restriction was imposed at Forfar until two new grade-separated junctions were built, after which the restriction was lifted.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} In 2017 Average Speed Cameras were erected between Dundee and Stonehaven, with 15 per side, spaced approximately every {{convert|5|mi|0}} for a total of 30 cameras. BBC News reported in January 2018 that speed limit compliance had increased from 2 in 5 to 99 in 100 drivers.{{cite news |title=Driver behaviour 'transformed' by A90 average speed cameras |publisher=BBC News |date=23 January 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-42774902 |access-date=10 June 2019}}
A short stretch of the A90, from the southern terminus of the M90 to Barnton Junction (a junction with the A902), is part of Euroroute E15, which runs from Inverness to Algeciras in Spain. The E15 continues northwards on the M90, and southwards on the A902 leading to the Edinburgh City Bypass.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
The A90 ran along the coast and through Aberdeen until the city was bypassed with the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route in 2018. The former stretch of A90 from Stonehaven through to just north of Aberdeen is now part of the A92.
Future
In January 2016 the Scottish Government announced £24 million for the design and construction of a new grade-separated junction at Laurencekirk on the A90.{{Cite web |title=Project details {{!}} Transport Scotland |url=https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a90a937-laurencekirk-junction-improvement-scheme/project-details/ |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=www.transport.gov.scot}} Ground investigations were carried out in 2019 in preparation for upgrading the flat junction between the A90 and the A937 to a flyover after a number of deaths.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/angus-mearns/891883/work-to-finally-start-at-blackspot-junction-following-15-year-campaign/|title=Work to finally start at blackspot junction following 15-year campaign|last=Strachan|first=Graeme|website=The Courier|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-11-28}} This followed years of local campaigning.{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Nikki |date=2014-04-24 |title=Campaigners protest outside Holyrood for action against Laurencekirk Junction |url=http://www.mearnsleader.co.uk/news/local-headlines/campaigners-protest-outside-holyrood-for-action-against-laurencekirk-junction-1-3387188 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513050542/http://www.mearnsleader.co.uk/news/local-headlines/campaigners-protest-outside-holyrood-for-action-against-laurencekirk-junction-1-3387188 |archive-date=2014-05-13 |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=Mearns Leader}} However, in 2021 it was announced that work had been delayed. The proposed flyover would require the closure of a flat crossing at Oatyhill Farm which is now the sole access point to some properties after the nearby 170-year-old Oatyhill Bridge, which crosses the Dundee–Aberdeen line, was closed to road traffic in 2020.{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Jamie|date=2021-05-11|title=Upgrades to notorious north-east junction held up by unsafe bridge|url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/3127855/north-east-junction-upgrades-held-up-by-unsafe-bridge/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Press and Journal|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513130540/https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/3127855/north-east-junction-upgrades-held-up-by-unsafe-bridge/ |archive-date=13 May 2021 }} However, supplementary draft Orders and an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (Addendum) was published in December 2024 to facilitate the necessary works required at Oatyhill to allow the flyover to be built.
Dualling of the section north of Aberdeen has been subject to studies since the 1980s. A proposal was published in 2007 for dualling the section between Balmedie and Tipperty.{{Cite web |date=August 2007 |title=A90 Dualling Balmedie to Tipperty |url=https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/35513/e-v.pdf |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Transport Scotland}} While the Balmedie to Tipperty segment was eventually dualled as part of wider AWPR works, in 2023 the Scottish Government said it had no plans to dual the route north of Ellon.{{Cite web|last=Saunderson|first=Jamie|date=2023-05-19|title= No plans to dual A90 between Ellon and Peterhead despite 'daily accidents' |url= https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/no-plans-dual-a90-between-8455558.amp |access-date=2023-08-06|website=Aberdeen Live|language=en-US}}
River crossings
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commonscat-inline}}
- [https://www.roads.org.uk/road-schemes/a90-aberdeen-western-peripheral A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627040724/https://www.roads.org.uk/road-schemes/a90-aberdeen-western-peripheral |date=27 June 2020 }}
{{UK primary routes 9}}
{{Transport in Edinburgh}}
{{coord|57.43406|N|1.86059|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title|format=dms}}
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Category:Transport in Edinburgh
Category:Transport in Perth and Kinross
Category:Transport in Angus, Scotland
Category:Transport in Aberdeenshire
Category:Transport in Aberdeen
Category:Transport in Perth, Scotland
Category:Westhill, Aberdeenshire