A seasoned A77 campaigner has hailed the Maybole bypass which was 50 years in the making.
John Campbell has fought since the 1980s to see the main trunk road moved from cutting through his South Ayrshire hometown.
The ex-fireman who has witnessed horrendous accidents along the A77 road has fought MPs, MSPs and councillors on his way to finally seeing his town's wish become reality.
And as the ribbon was cut at the open ceremony of the new 5km stretch of road on Monday, John was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
The 72-year-old campaigner told Ayrshire Live: "It is a fantastic thing for not just for Maybole, but for everybody who lives and works south of Maybole who has to travel to the hospitals or to the rest of Ayrshire and beyond.
"There are going to be a lot of businesses south of Maybole who will benefit greatly from the new bypass, businesses like Grants who would have to send haulage trucks right through Maybole town centre.
"It is a day that was 50 years in the making, it is great day for everybody that's worked over all those decades to make this happen."
John says he has had to watch on in envy as other major road projects across Scotland were put before the Maybole bypass.
He added: "It has been some fight to get it, it was taken back off us at the very last minute for the A75 to be improved.
"We were quoted different figures over the years on the cost of the project, from £3million in 1985 to £14million in the 1990s, in the end the total cost was £29million."
John hopes that now traffic is diverted away from Maybole the town can bounce back and become an attraction rather than a pass through.
John can see similarities with Castle Douglas which he says is "thriving after they got their own bypass."
But for John, a member of the A77 action group, the hard work to improve the rest of the trunk road won't stop here.
He added: "The Maybole bypass is a great thing, we've only got another 47 miles to go now."
SNP MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Elena Whitham said: “I’m delighted to see the Maybole Bypass opening. All the campaigners will be pleased to see this, but no one more so than the many, many people involved in the Maybole Bypass Committee over the year who have campaigned so hard for this.
“Families and children will now be able to go out and about and enjoy less busy, less polluted and safer roads in their town.
“The new footway and cycle routes which have be created will also encourage more people to choose greener ways of getting about.
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