Green option is the answer not tunnel option at the Rest

Sir,

I can understand Sir William Lithgow’s perseverance in promoting the case for a tunnel solution for the Rest and be Thankful, having commissioned his own report.

The fact is Transport Scotland has included two options for a tunnel out of its five alternatives for a route through Glen Croe.

The possible route option that most closely matches Sir William’s proposal is the purple option for a tunnel 1.2km long, joined by an embankment or a viaduct down the glen.

There is no doubt building a tunnel and a lengthy viaduct is a comparatively costly option that would take more time to construct than alternative solutions.

A tunnel needs ventilation and escape shafts as well as provision for breakdowns and abnormal and hazardous loads.

Hard rock can be subject to fracturing and a specialised geological investigation would be essential.

Excavation would produce thousands of tons of rock to be removed from the site.

The tunnel option would require the acquisition of private land with all the lengthy legal and statutory processes that would be involved.

It would also bypass the existing car park at the head of Glen Croe with its famous viewing point, a favourite with tourists and touring coaches.

The bus stop in the car park is an important public transport link for the Loch Goil area.

Lochgoil Community Council and Argyll and Bute Council have consistently supported what is called the green route option on the opposite side of Glen Croe from the present A83 trunk road.

Compared with the tunnel options, this route would be the least costly option and the quickest to construct over land that is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland.

Its construction would not cause disruption to the traffic using either the main road or the old military road.

We should recognise that currently a great deal of preparatory work is being carried out by Transport Scotland and its civil engineering consultants.

The latest public consultation ended a few weeks ago and we can look forward to a progress report later this summer.

Alastair R Moodie, Lochgoilhead.