Identifying projects that will most effectively deliver objectives

Aberdeen City Region Deal Transport Appraisal

The commissioning of a regional transport appraisal was a commitment made in the Aberdeen City Region Deal (CRD) Heads of Terms agreement. The aim? To appraise a range of transport projects to understand which ones would most effectively meet the emerging regional transport strategy objectives. Following an initial appraisal study undertaken in 2018, our team was commissioned to progress this piece of work to the conclusion of the preliminary appraisal stage.

The first step in the process involved a review of the initial appraisal work to identify whether the findings remained current or whether any further development work was required. The long-list of options emerging from the initial appraisal was finalised and collated into packages, broadly aligned with the primary transport corridors in the region.

Having defined the option packages, we developed a logic map for each, setting out the potential transport outcomes and wider societal impact of each package. The next step? An appraisal framework that allowed each option to be tested. Additionally, scenario planning sensitivity was incorporated to reflect how each alternative scenario could potentially impact the relevance of the option package.

The options shortlisted for detailed appraisal were agreed at a final workshop and consulted on with the public and stakeholders.