The closure of a section of a city centre street is to be extended as work is carried out to it as part of the £3.2m revitalisation of Broad Street.
It is aimed to have Upperkirkgate, between its junctions with Flourmill Lane and Gallowgate re-open in December and the closure order has been extended to January 2018, in case of work needing to be carried out to the pavement or adverse weather conditions affecting work.
Gallowgate will also be closed at the same time, between its junctions with Upperkirkgate and Little John Street. The same alternative route applies via Schoolhill, Blackfriars Street, St Andrew Street, Charlotte Street, John Street, Loch Street and Berry Street.
Unexpected problems happening during the project including the discovery of a soft spot in the ground, thought to have taken place when the exploratory groundworks were being carried out for the old building at the site, St Nicholas House. There were also problems with our ongoing connections to drainage pipes, with concrete found within underground pipes and repairs required to the utility company’s pipes.
Work has taken place to solve these problems and further exploratory works are also planned to be carried out on Queen Street to ensure there will be no further problems with utilities.
A temporary surface is to be put down on Broad Street to accommodate the Christmas Village and work will resume on the project after the festive period with a phased opening of the works in leading up to late Spring/early Summer 2018 when it is expected that the works will be fully complete.
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to customers in the area and we are working closely with the contractor to try to re-open Upperkirkgate and Broad Street early where possible.”
The £3.2m Broad Street project will transform and revitalise it by making it pedestrian-priority area, and will also improve the streetscape and turn it into an area capable of staging events throughout the year.
The design for Broad Street as part of the City Centre Masterplan includes a water feature, trees and benches, improved lighting, and a raised grass area offering flexible event space in front of Marischal College.
The traffic lights at Upperkirkgate and Gallowgate are to be removed and replaced with a shared surface for vehicles and a roundel - a mini-roundabout where pedestrians are given priority. There will be a Toucan crossing at the Union Street end.
The design as part of the multi-million-pound 25-year City Centre Masterplan which had overwhelming feedback from the public was to have more pedestrian-friendly areas in the city, and more green travel which Broad Street is helping deliver.
The cost of the work is being covered by the City Centre Masterplan budget, Marischal Square developer Muse, and Sustrans Scotland.