Improvement works are due to begin at three of Aberdeen's most popular paths.

A total of £435,000 will be invested on the projects at Deeside Way as well as the Formartine and Buchan Way, while paths in Hazlehead Woods are also set to benefit.

Works at the Formartine and Buchan Way – from the city end – will commence today (13 January), as part of a joint Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council initiative. In addition, a section of the long-distance cycling and walking trail from Dyce Railway Station to Parkhill Bridge, over the A947 in Aberdeenshire, will be hard-surfaced. Part of the route closest to the train station in Dyce will also have street lighting installed. The council has advised the local community that sections of the path will be closed as work progresses along the route.

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The scheme (£300,000) is being funded by Sustrans through its Community Link programme, Nestrans and Aberdeenshire Council. The work is expected to be completed in March and is being undertaken by Aberdeen City Council.

At Hazlehead Park, work to resurface and upgrade the woodland paths will begin on 19 January, in the northern area of the park. Allison Enterprises Ltd is the appointed contractor for the scheme, and the firm will also improve drainage in the park. Due for completion in March, the £90,000 project is part of Aberdeen's Local Transport Strategy to improve Core Paths in the city.

Finally, at Deeside Way works will also start on 19 January. The project will see a 400-metre stretch of the former railway line in Peterculter resurfaced, while the railway embankment will be re-profiled to allow for easier public access. The £45,000 project is expected to be completed in four weeks, and is being carried out by CR Contracting North Ltd, with funding being provided by Sustrans Community Link and Nestrans.

Councillor Neil Cooney, Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Committee Convener, said: "Our footpaths take many thousands of walkers and cyclists every year through some of the best the city has to offer. Theses improvements will make the experience of using them even better and the investment will ensure they are maintained to a very high standard."

(JP/IT)