The landslide-plagued A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful is expected to reopen under traffic light control – subject to weather conditions.

The iconic Scottish road, which has been open for just five days in nearly two months because of landslides - is due to open tomorrow.

Engineers have been working work to repair the stretch of road after it was hit by a second landslide in just over a month on September 13 and has been out of action ever since.

The important Highlands route has been open for just a handful of days since August 4 when the first of two landslide brought thousands of tonnes onto the road.

On Monday teams reinstated the road safety barrier along the edge of the A83 and re-erected a temporary debris fence next to the steep channel above the road.

The Old Military Road (OMR) will remain open as a local diversion route overnight.

READ MORE: Landslide-plagued iconic A83 Rest and be Thankful has been open for just five days in seven weeks

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative said: "Repairs are progressing well and we’re expecting to reopen the A83 under traffic light control at some point on Wednesday although this will depend on progress on Tuesday when a period of heavy rain is forecast.

"Over the weekend engineers have worked to reinstate the road safety barrier and reinstall the debris catch-fence which is anchored along the A83 to provided additional resilience and protect road users.

"The OMR has been operating well as a local diversion route for road users over the last week and will continue to be in use overnight.

"Argyll remains very much open for business and as ever we thank road users and the local community for their continued patience while we do everything we can to address the most recent landslip at the rest and reopen the road safely."

The Herald:

Source: Network Rail

Ministers have previously been accused of wasting nearly £80 million on more than a decade of failed solutions to landslides on the road after the latest multiple slips in heavy rainfall.

Some locals have called for a public inquiry into the problems, with many saying a permanent solution must be found.

The landslide on August 4 came as 100mm of rain fell in the Argyll area blocking the A83.

The source of the landslip was located around 200m high above the A83, which split into two main channels as it spread out in a “fan effect” down the hillside.

One of the channels filtered into one of the landslip mitigation catch-pits which prevented around 2,000 tonnes of material from reaching the road, with around 1,500 tonnes of debris reaching the carriageway at the second channel. Car-sized boulders also reached the roadside in the debris. A further 2,000 tonnes of material was washed onto the OMR.

In total, the landslide is thought to have moved around 10,000 tonnes of debris on the hillside following detailed geotechnical calculations of the hillside, making it one of the largest landslips in recent times. Earlier estimates put the original figure at 6,000 tonnes.

On August 6, a further 100 tonnes of material reached the carriageway overnight via the steep channel scoured out by Tuesday’s landslip, exposing large boulders. Teams worked to make these boulders safe using water-bags dropped into position from a helicopter as well as using a high-pressured hydraulic ‘jack’ to force the boulders into a new, safer position further down the steep channel.

The Herald:

Source: BEAR Scotland

Teams completed the clear-up of 2,000 tonnes of debris from the OMR on August 7 and began work to construct a protective bund and channel parallel to the roadside.

The A83 reopened under traffic light control at around 10.25am on September 7. But the A83 and OMR were closed on September 12 due to forecast intense rain. This triggered a landslide which brought over 2,000 tonnes of material to the A83 with some reaching the OMR the following day.

The clearance of the debris started on September 14 as 5,000 tonnes of material had reached the A83 and OMR.