A PREFERRED solution to decades of landslide problems at the Rest and Be Thankful should be identified shortly, according to transport bosses.

Transport Scotland officials were responding to claims by Argyll and Bute Council’s leader that the ongoing situation at the stretch of the A83 road was comparable to “a far-off, distant country”.

Kintyre and the Islands Liberal Democrat councillor Robin Currie also claimed that a solution would have been found if the stretch of road was in a central belt area.

The A83 to the east of the Rest and Be Thankful has been hit by multiple closures due to landslides since October 2018 – though the problem dates back far longer than that.

Eleven potential solutions have been identified by Transport Scotland – some of them involving directing traffic through Helensburgh and into Argyll via Kilcreggan and bridges across the Gare Loch and Loch Long.

It was recently claimed that 100,000 tons of rubble is waiting to fall from the adjacent hills on to the road.

Claims were also made at the meeting that the Old Military Road, which opens in the event of the main A83 stretch being closed, is in a very poor condition.

Councillor Currie said: “Being blunt, the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful is not just a road into Argyll; it is a road into most of Argyll and Bute, including the islands of the area, and also a big chunk of the Highland area.

“If this happened anywhere in the central belt, there would have been a solution found, no doubt about it.

“There has been millions of pounds spent to date, but today there will be an announcement saying there is rain in the forecast and the road will be shut.

“This is the stage we are at, and it is absolutely ridiculous. You would think you were in a far off, distant country.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Design work is well under way to identify an alternative to the current A83 route and find a long-term solution to the challenges created by the Rest and Be Thankful section of the road. This work is expected to identify a preferred corridor shortly.

“Following this, designs will be progressed in the preferred corridor, and as with other projects to improve the trunk road network, there will be a need to complete the necessary environmental assessments and statutory process to allow land to be acquired and the project constructed.

“As the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson MSP, made clear this week at the [Scottish Parliament’s] rural economy and connectivity committee, the design work for this scheme is being accelerated given the importance of the route to local communities and road users.

“We remain committed to progressing substantial shorter-term investment in the existing A83 in tandem with the work to identify a permanent solution as part of a two-phased approach and we will keep local communities and road users updated as the design work progresses.”