SSEN urged to mitigate traffic chaos on A90 near Peterhead as converter station construction begins
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SSEN has been urged to mitigate disruption on the A90 after sections of the road are to close over the next four months for the construction of a new converter station near Peterhead.
Preparation work has now started on the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) converter station that is due to be built on a site south of the town, near Boddam.
It means sections of the A90 will be shut until the end of April which will include temporary traffic lights from the U66 junction to the Invernettie roundabout near McDonalds until March.
The work includes two new permanent access roads with new junctions on the U66, along with a temporary road through the site for construction traffic.
A site car park and temporary site offices will also be built for use during construction as well as underground cabling.
But residents have contacted Mr Duguid amid concerns of huge disruption already taking place at the Invernettie roundabout, resulting in queues forming past Boddam.
In one case, a resident said online that it would be “quicker to walk to Aberdeen from Peterhead” due to the roadworks while another described the traffic management system as an “absolute shambles” at the roundabout.
Meanwhile, others have called for “stop and go” signs to be used instead of lights to minimise the large queues.
In a series of emails, Mr Duguid urged SSEN to keep businesses and residents better informed of the disruption after raising concerns over a lack of communication over the extent of the works.
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid said: “It’s disappointing there hasn’t been more done to give residents and businesses adequate advanced notice of these works, which are taking place for a considerable amount of time.
“I appreciate that signs were put up and discussions were held with Amey but it’s clear that communication with road users hasn’t been good enough.
“Constituents have already contacted me about the lengthy delays that they are experiencing, with some resorting to taking the Mintlaw road to get away from the queues.
“Particularly in the morning, the disruption at the Invernettie roundabout has turned the area into a ‘no go zone’ for those travelling to Ellon or Aberdeen for work.
“I have also asked why this work isn’t being done overnight to minimise the congestion on the road during the day.
“The new Peterhead converter station will be vital to our energy security and our journey to net zero but SSEN has a duty to minimise disruption and keep residents notified of any changes on the A90 at all times.”
In a response to Mr Duguid, a SSEN spokesman said: “Firstly, I would like to apologise for the disruption that these works are causing to the local community and commuters, particularly those who are using the A90.
"When undertaking any work that will likely cause a disruption, we do everything in our power to minimise and mitigate the impact on local communities, and our project team have tried where possible to do that in this instance.
“The programme of work commenced on January 9 with a projected completion date of the end of April.
"Initially, it was anticipated that these three connections would be completed as three separate projects meaning that the disruption would last for approximately 10 months.
“However, considering our desire to minimise disruption, and after engagement with Amey, it was determined that it would be less intrusive for the local community and commuters to roll them into one package of work.
“While I understand that this means the disruption is more concentrated for a short period of time, our rationale was that it was better to complete the work in one go rather than causing disruption on three separate occasions.
"Further mitigation has also been undertaken by undergrounding most of the cabling in land running adjacent to the A90 carriageway.”
