A dangerous junction on the road from Blairgowrie to Glenshee is to be realigned following a pair of potentially deadly crashes.
The work on the A93/B951 Lair Bridge link has been proposed because a bridge on the road is becoming unsafe and needs to be replaced.
Perth and Kinross Council will also take the opportunity to change the road layout to cut the accident rate. The scheme will be considered at Wednesday’s meeting of the development control committee.
A report to be considered by the committee states that the Lair Bridge, which crosses the Allt Na Lair Burn around five miles south of Spittal of Glenshee, is structurally failing and supported by props.
The site on the main route from the south to the popular ski resort nearby is also the scene of lucky escapes for some motorists.
The report continues: “Whilst Perth and Kinross Council road safety records detail that there have been no KSI (Killed or Serious Injury) and no PIC (Personal Injury Collision) incidents within 500 metres of the junction over the five-year period of 2007 to 2012, there have been two damage-only collisions.
“One involved a driver losing control of their vehicle in the snow when approaching the junction, resulting in the vehicle sliding across the carriageway and on to the verge.
“The other involved a northbound vehicle turning right into the junction and across the path of an oncoming motorcycle.
“Although the motorcyclist was uninjured, the latter incident is of significance due to the A93 being a ‘well-established and council-promoted’ bike route.”
Should the planning committee approve the scheme, three bends along half a kilometre of the road will be straightened to make it safer. The bridge will be replaced with a new single span, incorporated into the new section of carrageway around 30 metres downstream of the existing bridge.
The current A93/B951 junction will also be moved 50 metres north of its current position.
The plan will need the approval of the Cairngorms National Park Authority because the northern stretch of the area falls within the boundaries of the park.