A two-day trial to keep the Rest and Be Thankful open fully is currently underway.
Teams working to make safe the vital route in Argyll are trialling a 24-hour operation to establish if the route can be opened fully on a longer-term basis.
All traffic travelling the route will remain on the A83 for the trial period.
#A83 #RestAndBeThankful: A two-day trial of 24-hour opening of the A83 has been launched at the Rest, starting today. All traffic will be convoyed on the A83 24-hours a day until Wednesday, with the OMR kept on standby as a precaution. Read more here: https://t.co/VcvjvAvMtP pic.twitter.com/fxAv0U2QTj
— BEAR NW Trunk Roads (@NWTrunkRoads) April 5, 2021
Bear Scotland say teams will be on hand to monitor the hillside and weather conditions to ensure safe passage is maintained, however, if required, the route will be shut off and traffic diverted.
The Old Military Route (OMR) will remain on standby as a local diversion route for the duration of the trial.
Wet weather could force diversion
Work to get the route back open has been ongoing on a 24/7 basis with mitigation measures installed.
New debris fences have been installed along the channels formed by landslips, with existing fences enhanced to control and manage excess water.
Eddie Ross, Bear Scotland’s north west representative, said: “The two-day trial of running the A83 24-hours a day will allow us to identify any issues associated with operating the route at all hours for road users, and will enable us to optimise the convoy operation, shift patterns and overnight monitoring practices for the coming period.
“The Old Military Road local diversion route through the centre of the glen will remain on standby and we’ll have teams ready to implement the route quickly should conditions in the area or on the hillside begin to change.
“While we’re hopeful we can safely move to 24-hour operation of the A83, we must underline that if there is wet weather forecast or a weather warning – particularly overnight – which we think could impact the hillside then we will look to use the OMR as before.”
‘Road user safety remains of paramount importance’
Mr Ross added: “Road user safety remains of paramount importance and we will only operate the A83 if we are content that it is safe to do so.
“Teams have been working 24/7 on the mitigation measures in the area, including strengthening the debris fences and creating a new debris catch-pit, with such features strengthening landslip resilience and providing greater protection to road users.
“As ever we thank road users and the local community for their patience while we do everything we can to address the ongoing issues at the Rest.”