The A83 Tarbet to Campbelltown road is to partially reopen today at the Rest and Be Thankful following major landslips in the area.
Thousands of tonnes of debris has fallen down the hillside onto the vital route through Argyll leaving motorists with lengthy delays and diversion routes as the usual by road, the Old Military Road, has also experienced its share of the woes.
Road operator Bear Scotland has said work at the Rest is nearing completion.
The A83 will reopen under traffic light control this morning, weather permitting.
A safety review will follow to ensure it is safe to allow one lane to remain open as teams will continue to put in place further mitigation measures in the area to try and prevent a similar episode reoccurring.
Debris fencing has been installed next to the carriageway with workers clearing the remaining silt and material from the road yesterday ahead of today’s anticipated reopening.
#A83 #RestAndBeThankful: Teams are working towards reopening the A83 under traffic light control tomorrow mid-morning, subject to weather conditions. OMR will remain open as a local diversion route for road users overnight. Read more here: https://t.co/dfh729kgen pic.twitter.com/ARZcaKsHgg
— BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) September 22, 2020
Eddie Ross, Bear Scotland’s north-west representative, said: “We’re on track to safely reopen the road mid-morning under traffic light control however we’ll continue to pay close attention to weather conditions.
“As ever we thank the local community and road users for their patience while we do everything we can to reopen the A83 quickly and safely.
“Argyll remains open for business and we’re working round the clock to address the situation at the Rest.”
A significant landslip 10 days ago following three inches of rain overnight added to a movement of six tonnes of debris a month previous.
Debris spilled down the hillside and also shut the Old Military Road.
A large diversion route consisting of a 60-mile detour has been put in place via the A82, A85 and A819 at times where both the A83 and Old Military Road have been forced to close.
MSP warns that landslips could cause more chaos across travel network due to climate change
