A key Highland road will be closed tonight as a safety precaution as heavy rain is forecast.
The A83 Rest and Be Thankful – which has been badly hit by landslips recently – will shut at 8pm, with traffic diverted along the Old Military Road.
A convoy will be in place on the single-track road, which runs through the centre of Glen Croe in the Arrochar Alps.
Safety inspections will take place in the morning before a decision is made on reopening the A83.
Wet weather is expected throughout the week and the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms from Friday into Saturday across central and southern Scotland.
Bear Scotland said its teams will be closely monitoring the conditions in the area as well as observing the hillside to decide if further diversions will be required.
The Rest and Be Thankful has been hit by a number of landslips in the past, so construction work has been completed to improve drainage and create more debris catch-pits.
Last August, a landslip caused around 6,000 tonnes of mud and rock to shift on the hillside resulting in a long-term road closure and 60-mile diversion for motorists.
The road closures and diversions are put in place as a safety precaution but local leaders have called for a more permanent solution to be found.
#A83 #RestAndBeThankful: All traffic to be diverted via Old Military Road through Glen Croe from 8pm this evening as a safety precaution ahead of forecast heavy rain overnight. Safety inspection planned tomorrow AM to assess if safe to reopen A83, info: https://t.co/lweliRg8wA pic.twitter.com/SN6BEX4hz9
— BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) August 4, 2021
‘Teams will remain on high alert’
Eddie Ross, north-west representative for Bear Scotland, said: “We’re putting road user safety first and diverting all traffic to use the Old Military Road overnight from 8pm as a safety precaution due to tonight’s weather forecast of heavy rain showers.
“We have teams closely monitoring conditions in the area as well as the hillside above the A83, and we’ll assess the situation tomorrow morning with a view to re-opening the trunk road as quickly as possible if conditions permit.
“Looking ahead, we’re expecting further heavy rain to move through the area during the remainder of the week and over the weekend, and our teams will remain on high alert to respond to any changes at the Rest.
“Given the forecast for the coming days, the need for further use of the Old Military Road is possible, but we will do everything we can to minimise journey time delay and will look to maintain traffic on the A83 for as long as it is safe to do so.
“As ever, we thank the local community and all road users for their patience while we continue with our work at the Rest.”