Minister handed a five-year ultimatum on A83 solution
100,000 tons of debris waiting to fall on A83
In the week a civil servant revealed an estimated 100,000 tons of rock and soil is ‘on the move’ above the Rest and be Thankful, a demand has been made that a replacement road be built in the next five years.
Transport Scotland is deciding the nation’s transport priorities for the next two decades under the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) and within that an alternative to the current A83 through Glen Croe must be agreed, planned, constructed and opened by May 2026 at the latest.
This was the message sent jointly by Argyll and Bute Council Leader Robin Currie and Michael Russell MSP to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Islands and Connectivity, Michael Matheson.
Councillor Currie and Mr Russell have written to the Cabinet Secretary emphasising the need for a replacement route to be opened within the life of the next parliament. They also ask that mitigation measures currently under way at the site are continued and that more frequent meetings of the A83 taskforce be held to focus on delivering the replacement route.
Mr Russell said: ‘The [STPR2] report states the case that the A83 is one of only two trunk roads connecting Argyll and Bute to the central belt, that it is absolutely critical for the movement of goods and people and that it plays a vital part in all aspects of life in Argyll and Bute, from economy to education and employment opportunities.
‘The pace of the action must match the urgency of the situation and that is why we are calling for the new route to be put in place in the life of the next parliament and no later.’
Councillor Currie added: ‘Everyone with Argyll and Bute’s interests at heart is agreed urgent action is needed to ensure our connections to and from the rest of the country are reliable, sustainable and open for business at all times.
‘With this joint approach, we are calling for three key actions and clear timescales to be put in place which will address this situation once and for all. As we focus on Argyll and Bute’s recovery it is absolutely vital to stay connected.’ During a February 11 meeting of Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group, Transport Scotland route manager Neil MacFarlane said the year 2020 saw 20,000 tons of landslide debris fall on the A83 at the Rest – double what came down the hill in the previous two decades.
He added: ‘At the moment, there is 100,000 tons on the move on the hill.’
A hundred thousand tons of debris is waiting to fall on to the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful, an expert has claimed.
Transport Scotland route manager Neil MacFarlane has also told community chiefs in the area that 2020 saw 20,000 tons fall on to the road at that point – double what has fallen in nearly two decades.
The stretch of the road has been subject to regular closures since a landslide in October 2018 and was plagued by major landslips in 2020.
Mr MacFarlane also said workers from his organisation, as well as staff from BEAR Scotland, who maintain the route, will be staying on site for years.
Discussion of the route and its future took place at a virtual meeting of Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group on Thursday February 11.
Lomond North SNP councillor Iain S Paterson sought information on whether there was an estimated time on when the road would fully reopen.
Mr MacFarlane said: ‘I don’t know if this is common knowledge, but it can be shared. In the last 19 years or so, there have been about 10,000 tonnes of material moved off the hill on to the road. Last year alone, there was 20,000 tonnes – so that is double everything that’s happened in the previous 19 years, in one year.
‘At the moment, there is 100,000 tonnes on the move on the hill. We are looking at 12 options in a short timescale. ‘We want this to be done by March, because that is the end of the financial year. The other milestone we have set ourselves is next winter. What can we do before then to build resilience? It is impossible to say when the road will be open again 24/7, or two-way, as we do not know what is happening on the hillside.
‘What I can say with certainty is that BEAR Scotland and Transport Scotland will be there for years.
‘We haven’t even talked about longer term solutions, but our colleagues in major projects are working on routes to Argyll. We have to keep the road open and get it running 24/7 in both directions as soon as we can.’
Councillor Paterson then asked: ‘Those are quite significant changes in terms of figures of what is likely to come down. Are the mitigation measures going to be adequate to deal with that volume?’
Mr MacFarlane replied: ‘Not at the moment, but it is very unlikely 100,000 tonnes will come down in one go. It’s something we have to plan for and it will be looked at.’
‘It is impossible to say when the road will be open again 24/7 as we do not know what is happening on the hillside’