Rest and Be Thankful closed every night for four weeks

The A83 trunk road will be closed every night for the next four weeks at the Rest and Be Thankful as a safety precaution.

Traffic on the trunk road will be diverted onto the single-track Old Military Road from 6pm every evening, with safety inspections at first light.

Contractors BEAR Scotland say the decision was taken because of water saturation on the hillside, regular rainfall and limitations in safely monitoring the area overnight.

The latest mitigation measures against landslides, including a debris barrier, are due to take four weeks.

BEAR says landslips in August and September left the slopes above the A83 heavily scarred and exposed to further erosion, while there has been around 150mm of rainfall since October 18.

Small amounts of debris and silt have reached catch-pits next to the A83 without reaching the carriageway, but further heavy rain is expected this week.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative, said public safety was being put first.

“Already over the past week we’ve seen the challenges that normal autumnal weather is presenting with the current condition of the hillside at the Rest,” he added.

“With more rain forecast this week, we need to ensure we’re doing everything we can to protect road users.

“With autumnal weather expected to bring wet conditions most weeks on an already saturated hillside, it is extremely difficult for us to safely monitor the slopes above the A83 during the hours of darkness.

“Engineers anticipate having the in-channel debris barrier in operation by late November, which will provide a good degree of resilience to the A83 and provide us with more confidence in safely opening the road again overnight.

“We understand the frustration that this may cause however we need to prioritise safety at all times. We’re also hoping that by making this decision now will provide a degree of clarity for road users and allow people to plan their journeys in advance.

“As ever we thank the local community and road users for their patience in advance while we do everything we can to address the ongoing situation at the Rest.”

He said that continuous inspection was viable during daylight hours but close inspections during darkness were not currently safe.