Work on a historic £60million facelift for Aberdeen's Union Street will get underway within weeks in what is being billed as the biggest upgrade in the street's 200-year history.
City council co-leader Ian Yuill has warned there will be disruption while work is underway, but said the result will be a "much better high street" for the Granite City.
However, the local authority has stressed that pedestrian access to all shops and businesses will be maintained during business hours.
Buses will be turned away from the central Market Street to Bridge Street stretch of the Granite Mile on April 29 as work begins, in measures similar to what was in place during the CV19 pandemic. The diversion will allow a £20million facelift of the 300-metre strip, which is expected to take around 20 months to complete.
The work will widen pavements, reduce the road down to one lane each way and include the bike lanes. The council is also to build a new £40million food and drink market in place of the long-shut BHS premises.
Mr Yuill told the Press & Journal: “It will take some time but the end result is a much better high street which will help play a part in attracting people to our city centre and making it a better place.
“But clearly there will be disruption… to use the expression, ‘No pain, no gain’.”
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