Rain causes A83 Rest and Be Thankful diversion from 7pm Saturday

Following heavy, persistent rain all day, traffic on the A83 will be diverted onto the old military road at Rest and Be Thankful as a safety precaution from 7pm on Saturday.

 

With up to 60mm of rain possible over the weekend, and the increase in hillside saturation that will occur as a result, the decision has been taken to switch traffic from the A83 to the Old Military Road at 7pm on Saturday evening as a safety precaution, with traffic being convoyed along the local diversion route through Glen Croe.

 

A safety inspection will take place on Sunday morning to assess if it is safe to resume convoy operation on the A83 during the daytime.

 

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said: 'The weather forecast for the weekend indicates that persistent heavy rainfall will occur from late on Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning. Saturation levels on the hill will increase with the forecast rain.

 

'We will conduct a safety inspection on Sunday morning to assess if it is safe for us to reopen the A83 for road users, and we will have teams constantly monitoring the hillside and weather conditions in the area such that the route remains safe for road users.

 

'As ever we’re doing everything we can to manage the ongoing situation at the Rest.

 

'Argyll remains open for business and we advise road users to plan ahead by checking Traffic Scotland for the latest travel information.'

 

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