The A83 remains shut following adverse weather conditions that has forced the closure of the road since Tuesday.
Following a heavy rain storm at around 8am this morning, further secondary slips have occurred on the hillside at the A83.
The three large boulders that had been causing concern were secured last night and assessments have been taking place to try to open the Old Military Road this morning, however this will now not be possible until the new slips have been assessed and any necessary mitigation works are undertaken.
As efforts continue to recover #A83 amid further slips at #RestandBeThankful @mathesonmichael has been seeing the latest conditions on site and thanking recovery teams @NWTrunkRoads for their work in very difficult conditions pic.twitter.com/ZCcZcIFAvN
— Transport Scotland (@transcotland) October 12, 2018
The damage so far
The second of three large boulders on the hillside above the A83 has been made safe after being exposed by multiple landslips on Tuesday.
Teams are now working to address a third boulder above the carriageway. Specialist equipment is being used which involves drilling into the boulder and inserting a hydraulic pressured device to split the rock into pieces on the hillside.
Once all three boulders are made safe a final safety check will take place before preparing the Old Military Road for opening.
The Old Military Road has been cleared of any remaining debris and teams mobilised to help operate the local diversion once the green-light has been given from the geo-technical assessment.
Additional road signs have been erected to help remind road users that Argyll remains open for business, as well as additional BEAR Scotland patrols deployed on the diversion route via Dalmally to help keep motorists moving.
*UPDATE* at 10:05 ⌚️️#A83 #RestAndBeThankful remains CLOSED ⛔️until further notice
The Old Military Road is still CLOSED ⛔️ very heavy rain is being experienced and caused secondary slips on this site, see below ?
Your safety is our top priority@NWTrunkRoads @MAKIPolice pic.twitter.com/KdA3DBYpvL
— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) October 12, 2018
The boulders became exposed after around 2,500 tonnes of material from multiple landslips was caught in specialist debris netting above the A83 carriageway on Tuesday, preventing most of the debris from reaching the roadside. Over the past six years, the range of landslip mitigation measures installed at the Rest and Be Thankful are estimated to have prevented the A83 from closing for at least 23 days in total.
Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s North West Network Manager said: “Teams have worked tirelessly on the hillside today above the A83 to do all they can to make safe the boulders on the route, with work on the third boulder almost complete.
“Safety remains our top priority, and although we have prepared the Old Military Road so it is ready to open we can only do so once the go-ahead is given from the geotechnical assessment. That said, we remain hopeful that teams will be able to achieve this sometime tomorrow ahead of the weekend.”
Further secondary slips have occurred on the hillside at the #A83 #RestandBeThankful following a heavy rain storm around 8am this morning. It will now not be possible to open the Old Military Road until the new slips have been assessed and any necessary mitigation undertaken.
— BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) October 12, 2018
He added: “In the meantime we remind road users that Argyll remains open for business, and rest assured we’re doing everything possible to get the Old Military Road open as soon as we can.
“We encourage road users to follow the diversion route via Dalmally in the meantime, and to plan ahead by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date journey information.”
Alternative travel options
The standard diversion route is in place as follows from the closure points Tarbet to Cairndow: A82/ A85 / A819: Westbound Turn right onto the A82 at Tarbet and follow the road until Crianlarich
Turn left onto A82 and continue until Tyndrum – Turn left onto the A85 and continue until Dalmally – Turn left onto A819 and follow the road until Inveraray. Thereafter follow permanent signing.
Distance: 58.8 miles
#A83 #RestAndBeThankful & Old Military Road to remain closed for safety overnight as teams work to secure 3 large boulders some 300m above the road which are now exposed following yesterday's landslips – the largest estimated to weigh 75 tonnes. More here: https://t.co/BQaEByG14D pic.twitter.com/bjGGh1S3UL
— BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) October 10, 2018
Eastbound At Inveraray, turn left onto the A819 then follow the road until Dalmally – Turn right onto the A85 and continue until Tyndrum – Turn right onto the A82 and follow the road to Crianlarich – Turn right onto A82 and follow the road until Tarbet.
Distance: 58.8 miles
Ferry provider Western Ferries has doubled their services to help accommodate diverted traffic. Up to date information available at www.western-ferries.co.uk or by phone 01369 704452 and email enquiries@western-ferries.co.uk.