Jamie McGrigor, Highlands & Islands Conservative MSP, today urged the Transport Minister Keith Brown to implement further landslide prevention measures on the A83 trunk road without delay.
Jamie was speaking at Question Time today in the Scottish Parliament, following yet another closure of the road at the Rest & Be Thankful as a result of a new landslip there this morning.
Today’s closure follows one only days ago caused by a landslip at nearby Butterbridge, following which Jamie lobbied the Minister to bring forward additional landslide prevention measures and tabled today’s oral Parliamentary question.
Jamie today urged the Minister to reconsider conducting an economic impact study into the effect on businesses of the repeated and increasingly frequent closures.
The Minister, stating that he was “well aware of the frustration” which closures cause, set out the investment which the Scottish Government has made at the Rest & Be Thankful so far, and said that reports recommending action on additional high risk areas would be concluded shortly. He added that he had "asked for members of the A83 task force to come together in the next fortnight to take forward some of the plans that we have in that area".
Afterwards, alluding to today’s landslide at the Rest & Be Thankful, Jamie commented:
“It is greatly concerning that the key trunk road artery into Argyll & Bute from the west and Glasgow has been closed yet again, which makes it twice in as many days. This is deeply frustrating to businesses, local residents, and tourists alike.
“Each time the road is closed, companies in my region, from Cairndow to Dunoon and Cowal to Campbeltown and beyond, face additional costs and inconvenience, and many businesses are deeply alarmed that these repeated closures are hitting the reputation of Argyll & Bute when we want to be attracting more visitors and inward investment.
“However, I am reassured to some extent that it appears that the majority of the material in today’s landslide at the Rest & Be Thankful was caught in the new debris fence. I also welcome the fact that it has been possible to use the Old Military Road as a local diversion route under traffic signal convoy control; I and others locally lobbied hard to have this alternative put in place and, while it is not a perfect solution, it is better than not having this option”.
On the Minister’s answers to his question at Question Time, Jamie said:
“I pressed Keith Brown for guarantees that he would ensure the option reports for the Glen Kinglas, Cairndow, and Loch Shira sections of the road are finalised as quickly as possible, and that he personally would ensure practical landslip prevention measures are implemented on these sections of the road without delay.
“The 2012 A83 Route Study specifically recommended action on these areas of the road, and we cannot afford to see further delay.
“I will continue to speak up about the strategic importance of the A83 at every possible opportunity, and to maintain pressure on the Transport Minister”.
LATEST SITUATION
At 1950 hours this evening, the Traffic Scotland website draws the attention of road users to the fact that
"...The Local Diversion Route via the Old Military Road is not suitable for Abnormal Loads or rigid vehicles above 15.5 metres in length and drivers will be required to make alternative arrangements via the Standard Incident Diversion Route"
and that
"...THE OLD MILITARY ROAD DIVERSION WILL CLOSE TONIGHT AT 19:30 FOR SAFETY REASONS AND WILL RE-OPEN AT 07:00 FRIDAY MORNING (07.03.14). THE SIGNED STANDARD DIVERSION ROUTE DETAILED ABOVE WILL BE IN PLACE UNTIL THEN".
For 24-hour traffic news updates, visit the Current Incidents page of Traffic Scotland's website at http://trafficscotland.org/currentincidents/.