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Old Military Road at the Rest and Be Thankful reopens

BEAR Scotland Teams have been working to carry out repairs to the debris fences above the A83BEAR Scotland
Teams have been working to carry out repairs to the debris fences above the A83

The Old Military Road at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll reopened after a series of landslides last week.

Heavy rain and strong winds caused the landslips which forced the closure of both the A83 and the Old Military Road.

BEAR Scotland said the A83 remains closed while expert teams continue to work on the slopes above it.

A convoy system was in operation during the day on the Old Military Road ahead of a precautionary overnight closure from 18:00.

The roads maintenance company said a further inspection will be carried out at 08:00 on Tuesday to determine whether it is safe to reopen.

Eddie Ross, the firm's north west manager, said good progress had been made to repairs to fences designed to catch falling debris above the A83 on Monday.

"Opening the Old Military Road this morning has helped to improve access for road users in and out of Argyll," he said.

"Safety remains our top priority and as further rain is forecast for Tuesday we need to close the Old Military Road as a precaution to ensure motorists and our workforce are kept safe.

"We'll review and assess the Old Military Road and the slope above the A83 tomorrow morning from 08:00 to determine if it is safe to re-open. Until then the standard diversion route via the A85 at Dalmally will be reinstated from 18:00 tonight.

"We thank the local community and road users for their patience while we do everything we can to address the multiple landslips at the Rest and Be Thankful as quickly and safely as we can.

"We remind road users that Argyll remains open for business, and rest assured we're doing everything possible to ensure the A83 opens as soon as it is safe to do so."

Drone shots reveal scale of landslides on A83 (Footage courtesy of Geo-rope)

Both roads have been closed since Tuesday, when around 2,500 tonnes of material came down the slope above the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful during heavy rain.

The following day a helicopter was used to carry out an aerial assessment of the hillside and three large boulders were identified as a potential safety risk.

Work was carried out to make them safe but there were further landslips on Friday morning, as Storm Callum brought heavy rain to the area.

BEAR Scotland said clear-up and repair work was carried out over the weekend, while motorists were diverted via the A85 at Dalmally.