Notorious Rest and be Thankful closed again amid landslip fears
ONE of Scotland’s most notorious roads is set to be shut for at least seven days following new landslip safety fears.
Transport Scotland’s maintenance contractor Bear Scotland said the A83 at the Rest and be Thankful, which has been shut since noon on Wednesday, would remain closed yesterday because of continuing concerns.
When the crucial Highlands artery is shut, motorists are sent onto a singletrack route, the Old Military Road (OMR), which runs through the centre of Glen Croe and acts as a diversion using a convoy system.
Bear said a decisio about returning traffic to the A83 will be taken this morning.
They said boulders that came to the surface after heavy rain last week were dealt with over the weekend and the hillside was monitored throughout.
Wet weather continued yesterday but the forecast looked set to improve, the contractor said.
Ian Stewart, Bear Scotland’s north west representative, said: “While we monitor the situation closely, we’ve decided to use the Old Military Road as a proactive safety measure.
“We understand that this can be inconvenient and apologise for any disruption, but safety remains the priority.
“Using the Old Military Road will ensure the route remains accessible for travellers, keeping Argyll open for business. The drier weather for the remainder of the week will hopefully allow us to get traffic back on the A83 and that will be confirmed tomorrow morning.”
The latest closure is the fourth involving the landslip-prone road since just before Christmas.
It was out of action in early February for over three days. It was closed in mid-january over similar safety concerns over heavy rain and there was further disruption just before Christmas.
Campaigners have said they were warned by Transport Scotland officials that there was 100,000 tonnes of unstable material on the hillside above the A83 at the Rest and be Thankful just before the latest landslides which they say shows more needed to be done to ensure the safety of those using the road.
The A83 at the Rest has been operating under a traffic lights system after a series of landslips over a number of years that have put the important route out of action for weeks at a time. The lights system ended more recently.
When there are further concerns, road managers set up a convoy system. Only when there are the most serious concerns do road managers divert to the OMR, which was originally built by General George Wade in response to the Jacobite uprisings in the 18th century.
The latest run of stoppages comes after the road was shut down after 12,000 tonnes of debris fell on it in early October.
Of the seven landslips that hit the A83 on Saturday, one hit the Rest. The others occurred between two and four miles north and west of where a planned £470m debris shelter is due to be built on the notorious Rest stretch of road as a key long-term measure to protect the road.
A mother and daughter who had a lucky escape on the road say they were hit by two landslides, the last of which was close to the A83 junction with the A815 – around four miles from the end of the proposed landslip shelter.
Kiera Smith, 19, and mother Fiona, 44 from Campbeltown were travelling on the road on Saturday morning when their Vauxhall Zafira was hit. Bear Scotland had shut the road in advance fearing further landslides.
But the measure did not stop road users from having their journeys curtailed, with motorists having to make long detours as landslides shifted away from where the shelter is due to be built.
Fears over the road hit fresh heights on August 4, 2020, when some 6,000 tonnes of debris cascaded onto the A83 at the Rest and be Thankful.
There has been anger over ministers “wasting” up to £130m over more than a decade on failed solutions.
Concerns have been raised about the millions spent on temporary fixes which were first highlighted in the Scottish Road Network Landslides Study 19 years ago.
The A83 is an almost 100-mile trunk road connecting the Mull of Kintyre and southern Argyll to the shores of Loch Lomond. Around 1.3 million vehicles travel the route every year and it acts as an important transport link for mainland Argyll and the Inner Hebrides.
Last year Transport Scotland unveiled plans for the option of building a debris flow shelter to protect the A83’s Rest and Be Thankful section.
The scheme comprises a mile-long, open-sided tunnel, costed at between £405m and £470m. Its selection follows design and assessment work on five options through the Glen Croe valley.
A debris flow shelter is a recognised means of protecting transport infrastructure and its users from falling rock and debris in areas susceptible to debris flows or landslides.
We understand this can be inconvenient and apologise for disruption but safety is the priority