THE A83 trunk road linking central Scotland with Argyll has finally reopened to traffic more than a week after a series of landslides near the Rest and Be Thankful.

Trunk roads maintenance company BEAR Scotland announced on Thursday morning that the route was open to traffic again – albeit under the control of temporary traffic lights – after severe landslips on October 9 and 12.

A full safety assessment along with a final check with Police Scotland has meant the road was safely reopened around 11.20am.

Temporary traffic lights will remain in place while teams work to continue with remaining landslip mitigation works.

A 24-hour recovery vehicle and additional patrols will be on hand for the next few days to assist any road users as required and help keep traffic moving.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative, said:

“Following a full safety assessment this morning along with representatives from Police Scotland, we were pleased to reopen the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful following the multiple landslides last week.

“Teams from multiple organisations have worked tirelessly in what has been challenging conditions to do all they can to secure the slope above the road, repair the fences and keep the Old Military Road and other routes into Argyll open.

“Temporary traffic lights will remain in place on the A83 as teams continue work to carry out the remaining mitigation measures at the Rest and Be Thankful. We’ll also have a recovery vehicle and patrols in the area to help ensure the reopening of the road goes smoothly and keep traffic moving in Argyll.

“We thank the local community and road users for their patience while our teams worked to reopen the road and encourage them to drive safely through the Rest and Be Thankful while teams complete the remaining repairs at the site.”

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland and the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.