Aberdeen City Council has announced a programme of city centre roadworks, to create a bus priority route, will begin on Monday 31 July 2023.

Part of the Council's City Centre Masterplan, the new road layout will help to reduce travel times for buses in the city centre which it is hoped will in turn encourage more people to use sustainable or active travel.

Pedal cycles, taxis, local hire vehicles and goods vehicles will also be able to access the bus priority route.

The bus priority route will minimise the amount of general traffic on Market Street (north of Guild Street), Guild Street (east of Wapping Street), and Bridge Street by stopping traffic from using these streets as through-routes.

Access to the Trinity Centre car park and roads adjacent to the restrictions will be maintained. The B988 (Denburn Road, Wapping Street, College Street, South College Street), Palmerston Place, the A956 (North Esplanade West, Market Street, Trinity Quay, Virginia Street and Commerce Street) will provide alternative routes for general traffic that previously used the roads where bus priority measures will be established.

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The first roadworks to create the bus priority route will be on Market Street followed by Guild Street and Bridge Street. Scottish Gas Networks is also closing Union Terrace from 31 July until 11 August to carry out a gas connection to a nearby property and roadworks on the new bus priority route will take place at the same time.

Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: "The new road layout will help to reduce travel times for buses in the city centre so will be a boost to bus passengers travelling from the city and further afield.

"We are investing in the new infrastructure as part of the City Centre Masterplan, which is aimed at making the area a more attractive place to live, work, and visit."

Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee Vice Convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: "These interventions will give a much needed boost to our public transport network as we want to encourage people to walk, cycle or take public transport where they can and they will also have a positive impact on lowering emissions in our city centre."

Statutory stakeholders including emergency services have already been informed of the road layout changes which are being achieved through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO).