A tunnel under the Rest and Be Thankful should be given ‘serious consideration’, MP Brendan O’Hara has said after the latest landslide to close the A83.
Three years ago Argyll and Bute Council said the radical move should be a priority, ahead of proposals for tunnels or bridges from the Cowal Peninsula.
And this week the constituency MP, who has previously visited the Faroe Islands to inspect undersea tunnels, argued that tunnels were value for money in the long term.
The trunk road is still closed after last week’s landslide, which saw boulders the size of cars rolling down Glen Croe, although the single-track old military road alternative route is now in operation.
This week the council and MSPs Mike Russell and Jackie Baillie made a cross-party plea for work on a ‘permanent solution’ to start next year, while Green MSP Ross Greer called for a ‘radical rethink’ of the Scottish Government’s roads budget, although none of these announcements came with specific proposals.
Visiting the Rest yesterday, Mr O’Hara said Argyll and Bute was open for business despite the worst landslide in recent memory and praised the ‘heroic efforts’ of BEAR Scotland’s workers in building mitigation pits and clearing debris.
But he said the hillside would become increasingly unstable due to climate change and increased rainfall – the road has already been closed by landslides twice this year.
He added that the construction of a tunnel should be given ‘serious consideration’.
“I have seen these tunnels from construction to completion; they work and have proven to be value for money in the long term,” he said.
“If the rest of northern Europe can build tunnels to connect their rural communities and their islands, there is absolutely no reason why Scotland cannot.
“Our ambition for the future should not be limited by what we have done in the past.”
To relieve pressure on the A82 before Tarbet tunnelling from Gourock should be considered.
I don’t think anyone has the millions to complete that.
The average cost of widening a motorway is 16 million per Km A&B council can’t even keep public toilets open because of cost cuts and BO is talking tunnels 😂 he tried to gain popularity last time by this method and it didn’t work. So why doesn’t he concentrate on the real issues in his area like poverty etc and stop fafing about.
Spot on, Graham Walker!
The A83 is not A&BCC is not responsibly it is a trunk road and Holyrood’s baby.
The main need is access to the North not to Cowal and the preferrex solution is a new road on the Southside of the glen up the hill from the OMR.
The south side of Glen Croe will have exactly the same geological problems as the north side plus it’s steeper, it’s a bad idea. While a tunnel could bypass the worst section it would leave Glen Kinglas, which if the climate is going to cause more and more severe landslips may well become as bad as Glen Croe is now; a tunnel between the two sea lochs would be nice but likely to bust the budget.
A fixed link between Inverclyde and Cowal, while not a replacement nor a bypass of RABT, would increase the accessibility of Cowal and Mid Argyll and by creating another route build resilience into the road network, something a RABT replacement/tunnel/whatever does not do; plus a toll could be charged to pay for it without inciting a revolt, something which can’t be said for the RABT.
Apologies Rodney I thought it was A&BCC glad to see your well and fine.
Precisely you said it a tunnel doesnot replace the A83 and invreases the distance to travrl to kintyre and the geology is not the same on the Southside of the glen
Regardless of whichever party is governing Scotland, ‘Block Grants’ (aka partial refunds) only stretch so far sadly and these sorts of transport infrastructure projects, whichever one is in the end opted for, are very costly. Devolution can be very restrictive. Strange how such a hugely resource rich country can’t afford what others with less resources can manage to afford? The Faroe Islands for example are tunnel connected with 19 runnels throughout, (two of them subsea) and Norway have around 33 fixed-link undersea tunnels – mind you, Norway is oil rich and one of two on the planet with no national debt, but both are also self governing nations.
And the second most expensive country to live in. At £8 a pint you can keep Norway.
A high level roadway on concrete piers similar to a motorway flyover running up the centre of Glen Croe would be the sensible answer.
Can we stop this idiotic talk of tunnels anyvtunnel over 1 km needs ventilation ag intermediate points amd 2 separate road tunnels orcthat plus a service tunnel in between like the cjannwlell tunnel.
Gourock to Dunoon is nt very deep and soft coalmeasures therefore siseprible to flooding.
This route has very good ferry links and of course is not attractive to freight from central Scotland going North and West.
Flyover likewise the design lead time and the foundatipms and towers need to be able to withstand impact of very large boulders the ability of Transport Scotland to commission civl engineers able to do this is more than questionanle.