A campaign lasting more than a decade led to the Government announcing £24 million of funding towards a flyover at Laurencekirk.
The road upgrade is part of £504m of investments allocated to the north-east of Scotland to improve infrastructure and attract jobs.
The news was greeted with delight by Jill Fotheringham who started a petition for a grade separated junction to connect the A937 to the A90 in 2004.
She said: “It’s tremendous news because even though last year a Nestrans report said a flyover was the preferred option for improving the safety of the junction, I thought we were going to have to wait years for the funding to be in place.
“The question now is when it the work going to start. I won’t be happy until the junction is there.
“It’s been more than 11 years of my life so I’m very happy with the announcement. It’s progress.”
The £24m will allow Transport Scotland to progress the design phases of the junction upgrade.
The Scottish Government’s infrastructure secretary Keith Brown said: “We have been working hard with the two local authorities and Nestrans to deliver this much-needed scheme for the people of the north-east as soon as possible.
“This significant funding boost for the scheme is a major step forward and we will now take forward the design work.”
As a result of Jill’s petition in 2004, which attracted 6,711 signatures, the speed limit on the A90 at Laurencekirk was reduced to 50 miles an hour the following year.
However, she rejected views that this was enough to make the junction safe and continued to fight for a flyover.
A second petition, started in 2008, had more than 11,000 signatures.
A breakthrough was made last July when Nestrans’ Access to Laurencekirk report showed that an upgrade to a grade-separated junction was the preferred option for improving the A90 at Laurencekirk.
It said a flyover would lead to fewer delays for motorists as well as safety improvements.
Jill added: “After the report was published, I met with Transport Minister Derek Mackay and he admitted the evidence was there but he said it was a case of getting the funding together.
“I thought this was going to be another brick wall and that we’d be waiting years and years.
“For the Scottish Government to have finally come round and got the project moving, it’s brilliant.”
Angus North MSP Nigel Don welcomed the news. He said: “This will bring economic benefit to the area as well as address the significant safety concerns of the local community.”
However, north-east MSP Alex Johnstone said: “I welcome this announcement, but the fact is that this just takes the junction to the design stage. Let’s get it built.”