Introduction

About this report

This report outlines the communication and engagement activities undertaken by Transport Scotland for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful scheme in relation to the publication of draft Orders including Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) and Environmental Impact Assessment Reports (EIAR) for both the Medium-Term Solution (MTS) and the Long-Term Solution (LTS) schemes.

It includes an overview of the formal consultation period which took place between 13 December 2024 and 7 February 2025.

Background

The A83 Trunk Road is a major 98 mile/158 km road in the south of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands. The A83 is a vital artery route through Argyll, running from Tarbet on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82 to Campbeltown at the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsular. The highest point along the route is known as the Rest and Be Thankful, separating Glen Kinglas and Glen Croe.

The section of the A83 between Ardgartan and the Rest and Be Thankful car park and viewpoint has a history of hillside instability, in particular, the Beinn Luibhean slopes above the Rest and Be Thankful.

Transport Scotland continue to actively work with BEAR Scotland to keep the existing A83 open at the Rest and Be Thankful despite the effects of the weather. Work to date has included the installation of a new culvert and construction of an additional catch pit and debris fencing.

Long-Term Solution

The LTS objectives are:

  • Resilience – reduce the impact of disruption for travel to, from and between key towns within Argyll and Bute, and for communities accessed via the strategic road network;
  • Safety – positively contribute towards the Scottish Government’s Vision Zero road safety target by reducing accidents on the road network and their severity;
  • Economy – reduce geographic and economic inequalities within Argyll and Bute through improved connectivity and resilience;
  • Sustainable travel – encourage sustainable travel to, from and within Argyll and Bute through facilitating bus, active travel, and sustainable travel choices; and
  • Environment - protect the environment, including the benefits local communities and visitors obtain from the natural environment by enhancing natural capital assets and ecosystem service provision through the delivery of sustainable transport infrastructure.

In June 2023 the former Minister for Transport, Kevin Stewart MSP announced the preferred route for the permanent LTS as the Brown Option which consists of a debris flow shelter and catch pit on the line of the existing A83. This announcement marked a major milestone in the scheme.

The key components of the LTS scheme are:

  • 4km single carriageway improvements;
  • 4km debris flow shelter (DFS) structure and catch pit;
  • 146m debris flow protection wall and catch pit;
  • 30m new bridge structure;
  • Watercourse realignment, channel improvement works and culverts;
  • Drainage works, including sustainable drainage systems (SuDS);
  • Upgrades to the B828 junction with the A83;
  • Upgrades to the Rest and Be Thankful Car Park and Viewpoint; and
  • A 560m active travel link along the B828 from the Rest and Be Thankful Car Park.

To support the construction of the LTS scheme and provide a suitable and more resilient diversion route for A83 Trunk Road traffic, a series of improvements to the Old Military Road (OMR) are included in the LTS scheme:

  • Widening of the OMR over a length of approximately 1.4km to accommodate two-way traffic including a new proprietary bridge structure that will carry southbound traffic with northbound traffic continuing on the existing bridge over the Croe Water;
  • Localised widening at three existing sharp bends at the northern end of Glen Croe to assist HGVs in navigating the narrow carriageway when using the OMR as the diversion route;
  • An approximately 150m long debris flow protection earthwork bund to protect the OMR during debris flow and rock fall events; and
  • Extension of the existing HESCO barrier by approximately 150m to protect the OMR during debris flow and rock fall events.

Transport Scotland is working at pace to deliver the LTS, however, construction of the scheme can only commence once the statutory process is complete and a main works contractor is appointed.

Medium-Term Solution

On 23 December 2022, the former Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth announced the preferred option for the MTS. Improvements to the existing OMR through the Glen Croe corridor are being made to make it a more resilient diversion route until the LTS at the Rest and Be Thankful is in place. These improvements will improve the resilience of the diversion route, reduce journey times, are the quickest to construct, are of lower cost and have the least impacts overall across the range of criteria assessed of the medium-term options considered.

The MTS objectives are:

  • Increase the resilience of a temporary diversion route by reducing the likelihood of closure due to landslides, flooding, or other incidents;
  • Maximise the operational benefits of a temporary diversion route, for all vehicles, by providing a route that achieves a proportionate balance of time to implement, cost and impact; and
  • Reduce the likelihood of accidents on a temporary diversion route.

The MTS Phase 1 works started in December 2023 and include the realignment of the OMR at the southern end junction with the A83 to avoid an area prone to flooding. The new link road became operational in Spring 2024.

The MTS scheme includes a series of improvements to the OMR and geotechnical improvements, including:

  • Widening of the OMR over a length of approximately 1.4km to accommodate two-way traffic including a new proprietary bridge structure that will carry southbound traffic with northbound traffic continuing on the existing bridge over the Croe Water;
  • Localised widening at three existing sharp bends at the northern end of Glen Croe to assist HGVs in navigating the narrow carriageway when using the OMR as the diversion route;
  • An approximately 150m long debris flow protection earthwork bund to protect the OMR during debris flow and rock fall events; and
  • Extension of the existing HESCO barrier by approximately 150m to protect the OMR during debris flow and rock fall events.

The extension of the OMR for two-way widening and a reduction in the length of convoy operation results in average journey times reducing by one third (approximately 10 minutes). This journey time improvement on the existing OMR operation aims to provide improvements both in the medium-term and long-term (during the long-term solution construction).

Transport Scotland is aiming to deliver the MTS project as quickly as possible, however, construction of the scheme can only commence once the statutory process is complete and a main works contractor is appointed.