A ‘debris shelter’ solution for the Rest and Be Thankful has been attacked as ‘ugly’ and ‘a comfort blanket’ a conservation charity.
The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs has listed 26 reasons why Transport Scotland’s preferred option is wrong – and 14 reasons to choose a viaduct instead, potentially including a short tunnel.
The A83 trunk road through Glen Croe has been plagued by landslides for decades, often forcing drivers to take long detours or use the single track Old Military Road (OMR) alternative.
In June Transport Scotland (TS) opened consultation on a £470m debris shelter (below), which would follow the road’s current route.
Councillors have expressed ‘deep concern’ over the OMR being used dur9ing the construction period, saying it would be ‘crippling’ for the area.
Now Friends chairman John Urquhart has said TS is ‘well behind the curve’ in a formal written submission.
“The Rest is one of Scotland’s finest and most travelled mountain passes and solving the A83 debris flow problem there should have been grasped as a golden opportunity to create a world class ‘gateway”experience for travellers journeying through the magnificent mountain scenery of the Arrochar Alps,” he said.
“Instead, TS has gone for the comfort blanket approach of sticking to the existing road alignment which is to be protected by an ugly shelter comprising a concrete wall and roof, from which excavators will clear avalanche debris collected in pits dug behind the wall.
“As with the similarly troubled A82 upgrade, it seems the engineers have just been left to get on with it.
“Without proper oversight, it is hardly surprising they have come up with an unimaginative scheme which delivers the worst of all outcomes.”
He said that the debris shelter would not only be unsightly and noisy, but likely to fail in the long term.
“Any geomorphologist would point out that ‘managed retreat’ is the most sustainable way forward when faced with powerful geomorphic forces on the scale we see on the steep slopes above the road, where thousands of tonnes of unconsolidated glacial debris lie poised ready for lubrication by the next extreme rainfall event,” he said.
“It is difficult to comprehend how such a short-sighted and damaging scheme could ever have been selected and we wonder if the process was perhaps driven by politicians looking for a populist headline rather than a balanced consideration of all the evidence.
“Both the A82 and A83 schemes are being promoted as being the cheapest and quickest, but we have seen that kind of claim before in relation to ferries. The reality is that neither of them make much sense.”
He listed 14 reasons to build a viaduct, either alone or with a short tunnel, including:
- Disruption to traffic during construction would be minimised
- A largely unaltered OMR would remain available to be re-purposed as a cycling and walking route.
- Disturbance to the environment and scenery would be minimal
- With the short tunnel option, space would be available for enlargement of the Rest and Be Thankful car park and viewpoint potentially providing a ‘gateway experience for the visitor, including motor home bays, toilets and interpretation.
He said the group has discounted a long tunnel as it would deprive people of scenic views, while a new road on the southern side of the glen could potentially suffer the same problems as the current route.
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