In a question-and-answer session in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, despite pressure from North East MSP Mike Rumbles, the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy refused to give a date for when the £745 million AWPR project would be open to traffic.
Mr Rumbles specifically asked the Cabinet Secretary “what month will the AWPR be open to traffic?” However, in spite of claiming that the collapse of Carillion did not necessitate a delay to the contract, the Cabinet Secretary could not give a specific date that the project would be completed.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Rumbles said: “Time and time again the Cabinet Secretary has said that the AWPR will be completed this winter. Well the spring is only six weeks away and today he failed to confirm when it will be finished.
“The Scottish Government is clearly hedging its bets and preparing for a delay to the project. If that is indeed the case, people and businesses in the North East, especially those who could be negatively impacted, deserve to know how much longer they will have to wait.”