The Scottish Government is to make improvements costing up to £32m to the Old Military Road diversion route for the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful.
The work is designed to make the road more resilient as the Rest and be Thankful route awaits longer-term options ranging from traditional roads to a full tunnel.
Transport minister Jenny Gilruth said the improvements will mean more certainty for road users if the A83 is shut due to adverse weather conditions but that the Scottish Government ‘remains committed to a long-term solution to the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful'.
She added: ‘Transport Scotland appointed consultants at the end of the summer to develop an action plan that will deliver tangible action on the route. That work includes a consideration of traditional roads and localised structural protection, to full tunnel options. A final decision on the long-term solution will be confirmed by consultants by the Spring of 2023.
‘Meantime, consultants have now identified improvements to the existing Old Military Road (OMR) to create a more resilient diversion route through Glen Croe while the long-term solution is being developed.'
Vehicles using the Old Miltary Road under convoy. Picture: Bear Scotland
Transport Scotland said that of the ‘medium term’ options under consideration, improvements to the Old Military Road will also reduce journey times, are the quickest to implement and of lower cost, and would have the least impact overall.
A detailed programme for the proposed improvements will now be developed, including work on debris catch fences, temporary bunds, drainage improvements and widening and discrete realignment to improve bends and avoid flooding.
Transport Scotland said it expects these works will be carried out on a phased basis starting later this year and to provide further information on timescales and delivery at the next A83 Taskforce meeting in Argyll at the end of this month.
An assessment published by Transport Scotland puts the cost of the works at £24.3m-£31.9m at 2021 prices.
With the road only capable of carrying traffic in one direction at a time, it assesses the journey time as between 11.5 minutes and 22 minutes, depending on whether a vehicle has arrived just in time for the departure of a convoy or has missed it.
Since the announcement just before Christmas, the Old Military Road has been used as a diversion route on a number of occasions in response to forecasts of poor weather.
