More than £350m has been passed down the supply chain through sub-contracting on the £745m Aberdeen Bypass project, the Scottish government has revealed.
Cabinet secretary for infrastructure Keith Brown announced the sub-contracts cover a wide range of work including drainage, plant and equipment hire and earthworks for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty project (AWPR/B-T).
Construction of the AWPR/B-T is now well underway the minister said - and remains on schedule to open in winter 2017 – with an estimated £60m sub-contracts still to be advertised during the construction phase through the Public Contracts Scotland website.
Mr Brown said that of the £350m, more than £115m has been awarded to sub-contractors based in Scotland, including £55m for Breedon Aggregates and Whitemountain to supply and lay asphalt across the project.
He added: ‘These sub-contracts are just one example of how this £745m investment in the north east is stimulating the local economy during the construction phase, with many more significant benefits for road users, businesses, communities and industry on the way.
‘Over the next three decades, our investment in the project is expected to bring in an additional £6bn to the north-east economy. It will also create around 14,000 new jobs. Already, it has created around 1,500 jobs for the construction industry, including on-the-job training for apprentices and local employment opportunities for long-term unemployed people.’
