Rest and Be Thankful work to start this week

The first stage of work on the £470m debris shelter project at the Rest and Be Thankful will start this week.

Transport Scotland announced in June that the debris shelter (below) on the A83’s current route through Glen Croe was its preferred option and a debris consultation was launched.

But work to upgrade the single-track Old Military Road (OMR) was announced soon afterwards, despite serious concerns being raised by councillors.

And today it was announced that ‘preparatory works’ to realign the southern end of the OMR would will start this week – and then end for Christmas.

Work will then restart in early January and is expected to be complete in spring.

A new connector road from the A83 to the southern end of the OMR will then be built, which Transport Scotland says will ‘improve the resilience of the temporary diversion route’ by moving the link stretch 100 metres north to a location less pronee to flooding.

Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: “The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering a long-term solution to the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.

“There is a clear need for pace and urgency on delivering improvements to the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful for the communities and businesses who often feel the brunt of closure and the associated impacts that creates.

“The announcement in June of the preferred route option for the long-term solution was a significant confirmation of our commitment to improve the route.

“At the same time, we are progressing our plans to increase the resilience of the temporary diversion route along the Old Military Road (OMR) until the long term solution to the challenges at the Rest and Be Thankful is in place.

“The first phase of the work to get underway this week will realign the southern end of the route, reducing the risk of flooding.

“When completed, the work on the OMR will increase the resilience of the temporary diversion route by reducing the likelihood of landslides impacting it. These improvements will mean more certainty for locals and road users if the A83 has to shut due to adverse weather conditions.

“All of this underlines the Scottish Government’s commitment to work with key stakeholders and local communities to ensure that Argyll and Bute remains open for business.”