Transport Scotland has today (Friday) announced its preferred option for a long-term solution to the landslip-prone A83 Rest and be Thankful as the construction of debris flow shelters.
After ten years , and £80M, of mitigation measures and consultations, the Scottish Government agency has now selected its preferred option after design and assessment work on five potential routes through Glen Croe.
Consultation continues, however.
The next stage in the process is detailed development and assessment , culminating in the publication of road orders and an environmental impact assessment report for formal consultation.
Transport Scotland says it hopes to publish draft road orders by the end of 2024 for formal consultation.
The estimated cost of the preferred option is £405M – £470M. The route closely follows the alignment of the existing A83 Trunk Road for 2.4 km from the Croe Water heading north to the Rest and Be Thankful car park, and involves constructing a debris flow shelter over a length of approximately 1.4 km with an additional 180 m of catch pit and protection wall to protect the road and road users from future landslips.
An online exhibition has gone live HERE, where plans can be seen and commented on.
Public exhibitions will be held for four days from June 12 in Arrochar and then Lochgilphead, where the Transport Scotland project team and technical advisors will be available to answer questions on the proposals for the route.
See next week’s print editions for more information and reaction.
