Mintlaw drivers face two days of A952 closures in October
Drivers using the A952 near Mintlaw should allow for a temporary closure on 29 and 30 October while Aberdeenshire Council installs solar-powered road studs as part of a lower-carbon infrastructure trial. The closure will affect the road from North Street to the C4B road, with signed diversions in place from 9.30am to 4.30pm each day.
Closure and diversion details for 29–30 October
The works are on the A952 between the East Mains of Pitfour roundabout and the pavilion on North Street. During the daytime closure, the formal diversion will run via the A952, A90 and A952. The council asks drivers to follow the signed route and travel with care.
The trial includes highly reflective signs, new road markings and solar-powered studs. These options are intended to reduce the carbon emissions associated with building and maintaining road infrastructure on major routes.
Lighting changes and safety measures
On 30 October, the council plans to switch off streetlights at and approaching Balring Roundabout, as well as on the A952 southwards to just north of the garden centre access. The council says pedestrian activity after dark is minimal on this village-edge section, while noting a pedestrian island with nearby bus stops.
Mitigations include solar-powered studs, sensor-controlled lighting at the pedestrian island and high-performance materials for signs and road markings. The project team will monitor driver behaviour using AI analysis of optical and thermal video streams. A further safety audit is planned after the lights are switched off.
A Mintlaw test within a wider trial
Aberdeenshire is taking part in the Decarbonising Street Lighting project, one of the Live Labs 2 research programme’s projects. Live Labs 2 is a three-year, £30 million UK-wide programme funded by the Department for Transport; the projects will be followed by five years of monitoring and evaluation.
The council says it has replaced more than 90% of its street-lighting lanterns with low-energy LED units over the past decade, reducing energy consumption by 60%. It says further reductions now require changes such as reducing lighting levels, hours or the number of lit locations. The Mintlaw trial will test alternatives and mitigation measures; the council says any wider rollout would depend on the results.
What road users should check
The closure is scheduled for 9.30am–4.30pm on both 29 and 30 October, between North Street and the C4B road. The stated diversion uses the A952, A90 and A952. Aberdeenshire Council says the trial works are funded by an £89,500 grant from the project. The source gives no separate booking, entry or event cost information; this is a roadworks notice for road users, with no public booking details provided.
Source: Aberdeenshire Council News
Context & actions About this article
Source check Source and checks
This preview uses Aberdeenshire Council’s published details for the Mintlaw roadworks and infrastructure trial.
- Checked the stated closure dates and daily hours against the source text.
- Checked the affected section and diversion route against the source text.
- Checked the lighting changes and listed mitigation measures against the source text.
- Source
- Aberdeenshire Council News
- Scope
- Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire
- Updated
- 2026-10-23 13:24
Source check
Report a trust issue
Send a clear signal to community moderation if the source, facts or context need review.
Comments