Westburn Road will reopen to traffic nine days earlier than planned, ending traffic misery for many motorists.

Aberdeen City Council were carrying out work on Westburn Road, replacing manhole covers from its junction with Argyll Crescent up to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The road is a major route through Aberdeen, used by buses and motorists.

However, on Tuesday evening, it was more like a ghost town with no cars parked along it and few cars driving on it.

Usually there would be cars lining the street, parked up on the kerb to avoid being clipped due to the road being so narrow.

Some cars peeked out from side streets and travelled down the road before exiting, and a small group of cars actually passed by where workers were carrying out repairs to the road.

Work began on the road on Monday and was initially due to last until July 5, however, a council spokesperson confirmed the road would reopen on Wednesday, following an earlier than planned completion time.

One resident who lives along Westburn Road said the road closure was “excessive” and suggested the council should have closed it a night to avoid major disruption.

He said: “I usually take the bus into the city with the road being closed I had to walk to an alternative bus stop to catch the bus.

“The road is one of the main routes into town so to close it like this is a little excessive, let alone stop people parking on it.”

He pointed out that no signage had been posted on the nearby bus stop alerting users that it was out of order.

‘Excessive’ road closure

He also amusingly pointed out a typo in the notices along the road, which said the closure was from June 2023 until December 2024.

Another resident said there was a lack of information about what exactly was happening and when.

He said there was “no need for the road to be closed”, which has impacted surrounding streets such as Mid Stocket Road.

A couple who lived on Mid Stocket Road said traffic levels have increased since the road closure, noting the road was more “dangerous” as a result.

They described the road as more residential, however, there’s been “lots of congestion”.

The man said: “There’s so much congestion along the road, cars lined up from Rosemount all the way down at points.

“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in traffic coming through and it makes the road dangerous for others.

“Mid Stocket Road is not designed for heavy traffic, it’s more residential than Westburn.”

One resident commented it was nice to have a little peace and quiet on Westburn Road as it is normally very busy throughout most of the day.

A council spokesperson said: “Westburn Road between the side entrance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Argyll Place is due to reopen tomorrow morning (Wednesday 26 June) after overnight remedial works to two manholes.

“Bonnymuir Place, Caironfield Place and Mile End Avenue have also been affected. Please note the reopening of Westburn Road is subject to any unforeseen circumstances that may arise during the works.

“We apologise for any inconvenience during these essential repairs and access will be kept as open as possible for local residents.”