Drivers face 55-mile detour as scenic road gets upgrade

● Diversions as Loch Lomond road shut for £1m work

Drivers are facing a 55-mile detour as one of Scotland’s most scenic roads is closed for a major overhaul.

Traffic on the A82 at Loch Lomond is facing disruption for the next couple of weeks while the trunk road running from Tarbet to Crianlarich undergoes a £1 million package of roadworks.

A team of nearly 100 workers will be involved in the extensive programme of improvements, which includes carriageway resurfacing, repainting of lines, drainage works and new signage.

Trees and vegetation will be cut back to improve visibility on the scenic route, while repairs to damaged walls and a bridge parapet will also be carried out.

Long-awaited replacement of a crash barrier left damaged by a lorry earlier this year will finally allow temporary traffic lights that have been in place since the incident in May to be removed.

At the same time, teams from Argyll and Bute and Stirling councils will carry out litterpicking duties, while Forestry Commission Scotland is set to undertake tree-felling on land next to the trunk road.

The road is set to be shut to traffic between 8am and 6pm on weekdays until 21 November, although locals, businesses, school buses and emergency services will be able to access certain places between the closure points.

All other motorists are set to be diverted via the A83, A819 and A85. This entails a long diversion via the iconic Rest and Be Thankful road for drivers heading north to the west Highlands, including those goingto thefortwilliamarea.

Theroadclosureisnecessary due to the narrow verge, heavily overgrown embankment and steep drop into the loch, which pose a risk to workers involved in the scheme.

Eddie Ross, north-west representative for construction firm Bear Scotland, said: “Trunk road safety is our top priority, and in this case we have to close the road for the protection of our teams as well as motorists.

“We have however reached out to other organisations not just to inform them of the closures, but also to provide the opportunity for them to use the traffic management arrangements we have in place to carry out any works of their own.”

He said Bear Scotland would be sharing daily updates about progress on site, but encouraged road users to check the Traffic Scotland website for the latest information on the work.