Work underway today to clear the landslip on the A83 at Kinglas, Argyll & Bute
Commenting on the closure today of the A83 Tarbet - Kennacraig trunk road due to a landslip at Kinglas, Highlands & Islands Conservative MSP Jamie McGrigor, who has consistently campaigned for improvements to the A83, voiced the concerns of people in Argyll & Bute.
He said:
“This is deeply frustrating news for local residents and businesses across Argyll & Bute, many of whom have already contacted me to express their annoyance and anger.
"We are just entering autumn, and to have the road closed by the first heavy rain of autumn is a real blow; and my constituents fear this does not bode well for the rest of the year and winter.
“Given that the new emergency diversion route at the Rest & Be Thankful, running along the old military road, is obviously too far (east) to be used to alleviate this particular landslip, I will be asking the Transport Minister what contingencies he can plan for in the event of further landslips in this locality.
“As I have said repeatedly, as well as providing contingency measures, Ministers need to take bold action to put in place a robust and practical long-term plan that prevents the occurrence of landslips on the A83. They have been warned for years about the impact of these closures, and they need to take decisive action before real damage is done to the economy of Argyll & Bute”.
1745 HRS, 3 OCT 2013
UPDATE BY A83 TRUNK ROAD OPERATING COMPANY BEAR SCOTLAND
Current Situation
"Following progress to clear the sites on the A83 at Kinglas, and at Glen Croe south of the Rest & Be Thankful Car Park, BEAR Scotland are able to advise the A83 is now open to traffic.
"More rain is still expected to fall and, as such, BEAR Scotland staff will be monitoring the situation throughout the night.
"Both sites will reopen, with temporary traffic management in place to minimise the risk to the public.
"The slopes will be floodlit, and BEAR Scotland staff will be present throughout the night as well as undertaking regular patrols along the road.
"Following the peak period from 2100 onwards, BEAR Scotland will be continuing to work at locations on the A83. As such, there may be periods where road users will experience slight delays during the night as concrete retaining blocks are fitted for safety reasons. As such, road users are requested to exercise patience in allowing these works to take place and ensure the safety of our teams on site.
BEAR Scotland Intentions for Thursday 4 Oct 2013
"BEAR Scotland will be monitoring weather information overnight, with the forecast from Met Office indicating heavy rain to continue throughout the next 9-12 hours, with 28-30ml of rainfall expected in that time.
"Geotechnical Engineers will continue to assess the stability of the slopes to determine the safety of the A83 Trunk Road for both site Operations Teams and for road users.
"BEAR Scotland’s operations teams will be on site first thing, to continue operations along the A83 at affected locations".
Next Scheduled Update by BEAR Scotland
"BEAR Scotland will issue an update at 0900 tomorrow (Thu 4 Oct 2013) - in the meantime, up-to-date information will be available at www.trafficscotland.org
Brian Gordon, BEAR Scotland’s managing director said: “Our team has worked flat out in difficult conditions to re-open the road. We are doing so with traffic controls and a number of other safety measures in place, given the on-going poor weather forecast. As always, the safety of motorists is our utmost priority, and we will ask anyone experiencing delays to be patient while we continue to monitor the situation throughout the night".