Motorists called police to report a man walking on the A90 shortly before he was knocked down and killed on Thursday.
The man has been named as 41-year-old James Stewart McPhee. He was in an accident with a car north of Dundee at 6.20pm.
Ambulances and a trauma team rushed to his aid, but Mr McPhee was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers believe he was a member of the Travelling community and had intended to visit family north of the city after being dropped off at the Struan roundabout, near Dundee, shortly before 6pm.
Sergeant Alan Pettigrew said: “The man was walking on the carriageway when the persons phoned in.
“Within a few minutes of those calls, we received a call saying there had been a collision with a pedestrian.
“It was at the crossing at the Tealing junction it appears the man had been trying to cross.”
Police said the car involved in the accident was a black Kia Sorrento and the driver was uninjured in the collision.
Police are also keen to speak to the driver of a red Volkswagen Golf.
“The Golf was travelling just in front of the vehicle that collided with the pedestrian and appears to have taken some avoiding action,” said Sgt Pettigrew.
“The second vehicle attempted to do that but was unable to avoid him. The driver stopped immediately and reported the incident.”
Police are still keen to trace witnesses, and crash investigators are involved.
Sgt Pettigrew said there was no indication the man had received a lift, but that officers would still like to speak to anyone who may have picked up a hitchhiker on the A90.
Residents of the nearby Travellers’ site said they were shocked by the incident.
“There were lots of police there, and ambulances too it was just past the bus stop,” one woman said. “It’s a cruel thing, somebody getting killed.”
Police vehicles blocked off the road and a diversion was put in place while crash investigators examined the scene.