After years of campaigning, multi-million funding is now being found to take forward the design and construction of a new grade-separated junction at Laurencekirk on the A90 in Aberdeenshire, it has been announced today by the Scottish Government.

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.

Local campaigner Jill Fotheringham - who started a petition to improve the junction in 2004 - said  “It’s tremendous news because even though last year a Nestrans report said a flyover was the preferred option for improving the safety of the junction, I thought we were going to have to wait years for the funding to be in place.  The question now is when it the work going to start. I won’t be happy until the junction is there. It’s been more than 11 years of my life so I’m very happy with the announcement. It’s progress.”