A83 closed again
Landslides close main route and back-up road
Multiple landslides blocked the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful on Tuesday after a deluge of rain.
Debris blocked the road in both directions on Tuesday August 4, as well as the Old Military Road which has previously been used as an alternative route.
Up to 100mms of rain was estimated to have fallen at the Rest and Be Thankful and on Wednesday ‘horrendous conditions’ were still hampering efforts to carry out safety checks.
Geotechnical specialists carried out initial visual assessments from the roadside but initial indications were there was still movement on the hillside. Both roads remained shut overnight on Tuesday with risk assessments resuming at first light on Wednesday. By late Wednesday morning, BEAR operations teams were mobilised with specialist machinery to begin work to clear the debris.
Approximately 1,500 tonnes of debris is thought to have reached the A83, with around 2,000 tonnes of material washed onto the Old Military Road. In total, the landslide is thought to have moved around 6,000 tonnes of debris across the hill.
One of the recently installed landslip mitigation catchpits, built to prevent landslip material reaching the road, caught around 2,000 tonnes of material from one of the channels affected by the landslip. Car-sized boulders have also been brought down the hillside onto the carriageway.
A 59-mile diversion route has been implemented between Tarbet and Cairndow via the A83, A82, A85 and A819. Temporary traffic lights are also in place on the A82 at Inveruglas after heavy rain affected a retaining wall, causing damage to the road. Western Ferries have added additional sailings on their usual Gourock to Dunoon route to help accommodate motorists.
Many have been left feeling frustrated that as Argyll began to reopen for business, this vital route has been forced to close again.
Since 2007, £79.2million has been invested in maintaining the road but no permanent solution has been found to prevent such slips from closing the route.
Councillor Dougie Philand, who has written to the cabinet secretary regarding the matter, said: ‘Yet again, we find ourselves closed off by a landslide and while I thank all the agencies involved in clearing it up, I have to ask how many times does this need to happen to alert government this is an emergency for Argyll?’
Michael Russell MSP said: ‘It is vital to emphasise Argyll remains open for business. I am really sorry this slip has also affected the Old Military Road on this occasion but that not only shows the extraordinary difficult location and the extreme conditions which caused the landslides, but also emphasises the real problem any replacement route will have in terms of constructing it in such a challenging spot.
‘Nonetheless a solution that guarantees uninterrupted access has to happen. I will be working with the Transport Secretary to urge whatever acceleration of the design and planning process for a replacement can take place and I would welcome support in that from any other quarter, including opposition parties.’
Argyll and Bute Council leader Aileen Morton has called on the First Minister to take immediate and permanent action. She said: ‘It is abundantly clear mitigation measures taken by the Scottish Government have yet again failed the people of Argyll and Bute. Taking such a shilly shally approach is simply no longer acceptable and we, as a council, are asking again for a permanent solution to be identified, funded and delivered as a matter of urgency.
‘There is no time to waste. This is one of the most iconic routes in Scotland bringing millions of people to the area, a major route for commerce and a vital link for communities.
‘Above all, we are talking public safety and the people of Argyll and Bute deserve better.’