THE opening of the £745m Aberdeen bypass has been indefinitely delayed because of problems with a bridge over the River Don, the Transport Secretary has admitted.
Michael Matheson told MSPs it was not currently possible to give a date for the full opening of the 45km (28-mile) Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).
The 31.5km Craibstone to Stonehaven section has been held up by a need to repair greater than expected defects in the River Don Crossing.
It is the latest delay to the flagship project, which was approved by ministers in 2009.
The opening was supposed to be this spring, but this was pushed back to the autumn.
In August, quango Transport Scotland said “minor defects” on the bridge, near Dyce, should not affect the completion schedule.
However Mr Matheson said the situation had now changed, and complained he had been given contradictory information by one of the main contractors.
“It is this kind of inconsistency which is frustrating efforts to progress the opening of this new section,” he said, calling on the builders to “stop deliberating and start acting”.
The onset of winter could add further delays to the repairs.
Mr Matheson said Transport Scotland had asked the contractors to alter the contract to allow the Stonehaven to Craibstone section to open, but so far without success.
Stressing safety would be paramount, he said: "I am fully aware of the eagerness of the people of the north east of Scotland waiting for their new road".
He said: "
We will continue to work closely with the AWPR contractor to ensure everything that can reasonably be done, is being done, and we will provide a definitive date for the opening of this section as soon as possible."
The smaller Parkhill to Blackdog and Balmedie to Tipperty sections opened in the summer.
Conservative MSP Liam Kerr described the situation as a "disgrace".
Labour MSP Colin Smyth said it was not good enough the transport secretary could not give a firm date for the opening of the bypass.
LibDem MSP Mike Rumbles, who, warned of “substantial problems” with the bridge last week, said Mr Matheson appeared to have been bypassed by the contractors.
He said: “The Scottish Government has made a mess of this contract and now miles of completed bypass are going to be sitting empty.
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