Arbroath drivers have already had a taste of what construction work on the town’s forthcoming £14million active travel scheme could bring.
A Place for Everyone was approved by councillors on Tuesday.
Work on the 19-month project will begin in earnest in January.
But parts of the dual carriageway along Burnside Drive have already been reduced to a single lane this week.
Site investigation
Central reservation digging is part of the preparatory work for A Place for Everyone.
A council spokesperson said: “The cones are in place to allow for site investigation works associated with the Arbroath a Place For Everyone project.
“The contractor is on site to confirm the location of existing utilities cables.
“This work is expected to finish on Friday.”
Active travel charity Sustrans is pumping more than £10m into the initiative.
Angus Council’s contribution is £4m.
It has been labelled a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to transform the town centre for cyclists and pedestrians.
The scheme is designed to encourage walkers and cyclists to the seafront and high street.
But many remain highly critical of its costs and the potential traffic impact through reducing the dual carriageway to a single lane in each direction through the centre of Arbroath.
Council leader Beth Whiteside defended the spend as the scheme received the green light in a special meeting of the full council.
And she said axeing the project should not be considered as a “knee-jerk” reaction to the multi-million pound devastation caused by Storm Babet.
Negative reception
Reader reaction to the approval decision remains largely negative.
“This will kill off what’s left of Arbroath, no tourists/visitors will come to the town when the main road will be disrupted for 18+ months,” said one.
Another added: “This is the biggest waste of money ever. The mayhem is going to be unimaginable.”
One other commenter said: As a cyclist I would rather the money was spent on all the rural roads in Angus rather than just a tiny part.
“The current state of Angus roads wouldn’t be out of place in a war zone.”
But one fan said: “I am in support of this 100% and look forward to the seeing the finished product.
“Apart from anything else, it’ll get rid of that ridiculous dual carriageway that encourages speeders.”
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