Heavy rain closes Old Military Road diversion

The Old Military Road parallel to the landslip-stricken A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful was closed from noon on Tuesday after heavy rain was forecast.

The Met Office issued the yellow warning for heavy rain across most of Scotland from 1pm until 9pm on Tuesday, including sporadic heavy showers of up to 30mm which had the potential to affect the Rest and Be Thankful.

A safety check was due to take place at first light on Wednesday morning as The Oban Times went to press to assess the route before reopening the Old Military Road diversion.

All traffic was once again diverted via the A83, A82, A85 and A819.

Western Ferries has also been available as an alternative travel option for motorists, with sailings between Dunoon and Gourock.

A large landslip hit the A83 and embankments above and below the road on August 4, which teams have been working round the clock to repair.

Geotechnical specialists have assessed the area and a large amount of loose debris is still present in the steep channels above and below the A83, which has the potential to become dislodged during heavy rain.

The Old Military Road diversion was also temporarily closed on Monday between midnight and 4am to allow a small section of road at a tight bend to be resurfaced.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West representative, said: ‘We’ve been paying close attention to the weather forecast and advice from our geotechnical specialists and the safest option was to close the Old Military Road given the potential for heavy rain in the area.

‘Safety has to come first and with loose debris present in the steep channels above and below the A83 carriageway we took the difficult decision to close the local diversion road for safety.

‘We thank the local community and road users for their patience while we do everything we can to address the landslip at the Rest and Be Thankful.’