The A83 at the Rest and be Thankful continues to operate under traffic signal control to facilitate ongoing carriageway drainage works and a period of hillside monitoring and inspection, following the identification of a new area of movement above the trunk road.
A small area of the hillside, located above the roadside retaining wall appears to have slumped as a result of the high ground saturation generated by the very wet winter weather experienced in recent months. The new area of movement was identified using the monitoring tools that inform operational decision making for the A83, including timelapse photography and on-site inspection.
Using the traffic management currently in place to enable road drainage improvements, BEAR Scotland is conducting regular on-site inspections to monitor the hill for further movement. Temporary measures to enhance the operational safety of the A83 have already been deployed, with hillside spotters monitoring the affected area and operatives managing traffic signal operation 24 hours per day. In addition, a trailer mounted debris barrier has been deployed at road level to provide further mitigation.
Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said, “The safety of road users is paramount and it is likely that monitoring and inspection of the new area of movement will continue beyond completion of the road drainage works, to allow further understanding of the area’s susceptibility to rainfall and saturation. This will inform future operational decision making and determine the extent of permanent mitigation to be provided.”
(Picture – Jackie Baillie)
