BEAR Scotland, on behalf of Transport Scotland, is continuing essential maintenance works on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful.
The next phase of works will focus on lower slope stabilisation and the installation of stock-proof fencing, both of which are vital to improving the resilience of the route.
To ensure the safety of the workforce and members of the travelling public, temporary traffic lights will be in place from Monday 12 October until Wednesday 23 December when all temporary traffic management will be removed to allow the A83 to fully reopen over the festive break, subject to weather and hillside conditions.
Maintenance works will recommence in early 2027 and further updates will be provided once details of the proposed works have been confirmed.
Access for emergency services and scheduled bus services will be maintained throughout the project, and consultation has taken place with all relevant stakeholders to ensure awareness of the traffic management arrangements.
Michael Baxter, BEAR Scotland’s North West Improvements Scheme Manager said: “These essential maintenance activities will help to ensure resilience of the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful, helping to keep Argyll and Bute open for business.
“Hillside weather conditions will continue to be monitored closely to ensure the safety of road users.”
Meanwhile, The Times has reported that users of what is one of Scotland’s most notorious roads have warned of an economic catastrophe if a temporary route replacement is approved.
A permanent solution to the landslips and closures on the Rest and Be Thankful has long been promised by SNP ministers. Measures such as debris fences, roadside pits and enhanced drainage have been tried.
Businesses and trade groups are warning of “dire economic and social consequences” if a mooted long-term fix moves forward. A plan to use the traditional diversion, the single carriageway Old Military Road, with traffic light controls and convoys is being considered.
The campaigners said that system, which would run while a permanent solution on the affected part of the A83 is built, would be “economically catastrophic”.
More than one million vehicles use the route annually, and it is an important transport corridor for the Inner Hebrides and mainland Argyll to the central belt.
The Rest and Be Thankful section, a steep climb out of Glen Croe, is susceptible to landslips and has regularly been closed during and after heavy rainfall.
Transport Scotland announced in summer 2023 that its preferred long-term solution was a mile-long debris-flow shelter, costing about £500 million, to protect road users from landslides and falling rock. In the meantime, the Old Military Road would be upgraded as a short-term diversion. If it also gets blocked, then the only alternative is a 59-mile diversion via Crianlarich.
The Rest and Be Thankful campaign group, which represents about 1,500 businesses and groups across Argyll and Bute, has suggested building a carriageway on an existing forestry track would be preferable and cheaper.
A letter sent to Stephen Flynn, the transport secretary, asked for a further meeting before any proposed convoy system on the Old Military Road is approved.
The MSPs Jenni Minto and Dame Jackie Baillie as well as Brendan O’Hara, the SNP MP for Argyll & Bute, also signed the letter.
It warned that the proposal would damage Argyll and Bute’s fragile economy and would remain in place for up to four years while the permanent works took place.
It said: “There is not a single sector of our economy which would not be adversely affected by this proposal, and many businesses, both large and small, have collated evidence of the negative economic impact that this proposal would have on them.”
(Picture: Transport Scotland)
