Transport minister Keith Brown, who visited the site of where the works are taking place, said the work will provide the detailed information needed for the development of the scheme.

The site work for the scheme is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with draft road orders – the next stage which will see specific design proposals for the scheme published– expected next summer.

Mr Brown said: “The Scottish Government has repeated many times our commitment to tackling the congestion caused by the traffic bottleneck at Haudagain, and we are determined to see a solution put in place to bring much needed relief to drivers and the nearby communities.

“Having let local communities view and comment on the scheme’s preferred route earlier this year, we are now starting the vital ground investigations which will give us the greater level of information we need to help shape the scheme’s design - with a view to publishing the draft road orders in summer next year.

“A great deal of early preparatory activity is already under way on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, and we have announced a further £70 million of sub-contracts being made available, part of a £221 million sub-contract package. Hard on the heels of this, comes news that preparatory work for the Haudagain scheme is now under way which will ensure this improvement scheme is ready to go as soon as the AWPR is finished in spring 2018.”

Tristan Llewellyn, director of Soil Engineering Geoservices Ltd added: “We are delighted to be taking forward this ground investigation work for the Haudagain Improvement scheme.

“We look forward to working with Transport Scotland over the next few weeks as we play our part in delivering this scheme for the people of the north east of Scotland.”