THE A83 and its diversion route near the Rest and Be Thankful will stay closed until at least Wednesday morning after yet more heavy rain in the area.
Drivers on essential journeys between central Scotland and Argyll are being forced to take a lengthy detour of almost 59 miles via Crianlarich and Dalmally to complete their journeys.
Persistent heavy showers at the weekend led to both the main trunk road through Glen Croe and the Old Military Road (OMR) diversion being shut after debris slid on to both roads from the nearby hillside.
A 175-metre long, 6.6-metre high barrier, or 'bund', built next to the OMR before Christmas, was unable to prevent around 250 tonnes of hillside debris sliding on to the diversionary road at the weekend.
Trunk road maintenance company BEAR Scotland, which is responsible for the road's upkeep, says around 70 millimetres of rain have fallen on already saturated ground near the Rest since early on Tuesday morning.
Transport Scotland recently warned of a risk that 100,000 tonnes of debris could fall on to the road from the surrounding hillside.
The government body also revealed that 20,000 tonnes of debris slid on to the A83 during 2020 alone – more than had fallen on to the trunk road in the 19 previous years.
A Met Office yellow warning for heavy rain is in place in the area until 11am on Wednesday, with a high winds warning in place until 6pm on Tuesday.
An amber warning for heavy rain across central Scotland is in place until 6am tomorrow morning which could also impact on the Rest.
A thorough hillside safety inspection will take place on Wednesday morning ahead of a potential reopening of the local diversion route from around 9am if conditions permit.
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative said: “Unfortunately the adverse weather conditions at the Rest and Be Thankful have continued throughout the morning with considerably more rain than expected.
"With more forecast through the evening we have made the decision to keep the OMR closed.
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“Teams remain on site working in challenging conditions to monitor the hillside and will continue to observe the area overnight.
“A thorough inspection will take place tomorrow morning ahead of making a decision about the potential reopening of the route from around 9am.
“As ever we need to ensure we’re putting road user safety first and we will only reopen the OMR if we’re certain it is safe to do so.
“We thank all road users and the local community for their continued patience while we continue to address the ongoing situation at the Rest.”
Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.
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