Motorists have been faced with a 60 mile detour as one of Scotland's key roads was forced to shut yet again due to landslip fears.
Both the infamous A83 at the Rest and be Thankful and the adjacent single-track diversion the Old Military Road (OMR) are remaining closed throughout Tuesday.
The OMR was shut at midnight as a "safety precaution" ahead of adverse weather conditions being forecast for the area.
It is estimated around 250 tonnes of debris reached the OMR overnight after a landslip overnight on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
All traffic has had to use a separate diversion route between Tarbet and Inveraray via the A82, A85 and A819. Transport Scotland-appointed maintenance firm Bear Scotland said teams are on site to assess the hillside and weather conditions in the area throughout the morning.
And following a review at noon on Tuesday, it was decided that the OMR would remain closed as a safety precaution throughout Tuesday and overnight.
Around 70mm of rain has been recorded as falling at the Rest since early this morning (Tuesday) falling on what Bear said was "very saturated ground".
An inspection will take place on Wednesday morning ahead of making a decision about the potential reopening of the route from around 9am.
In the latest round of shut downs, the A83 was closed on Thursday morning after an overnight downpour increased the risk of substantial amounts of debris sliding on to the road from the adjacent hillside.
It comes after the Scottish Government's transport agency's route manager Neil MacFarlane recently told community leaders in the area that Transport Scotland was looking at 12 options to prevent further calamity with "100,000 tonnes on the move on the hill"
He said that 2020 saw 20,000 tonnes fall onto the infamous A83 at the Rest and be Thankful – double what has fallen in nearly two decades.
Around 250 tonnes of debris reached the OMR over the weekend
Bear Scotland are concerned about Met Office yellow warnings for heavy rain and high winds are currently in force, covering the Rest and Be Thankful area until 11am tomorrow. They said that an amber warning for rain will be in place from midday across parts of central Scotland which could also impact the Rest.
Eddie Ross, Bear Scotland’s north west representative said: “We’re carefully monitoring the conditions in the area and reviewing the hillside at the Rest, and at the moment we’re keeping the OMR closed due to heavy rain and high winds.
“All traffic is continuing to be diverted via the standard diversion route between Tarbet and Inveraray and our teams are out patrolling the diversion to help with any issues.
“We need to continue to put safety first and we’ll only open the OMR if we are content it is safe for road users.
“We’ll review the situation at midday and consider if safe for us to reopen the route this afternoon.
“We thank all road users and the local community for their continued patience while we continue to address the ongoing situation at the Rest.”
Planned surfacing improvements due to take place last night on the A83 at Drishaig near Cainrdow were also postponed due to the weather conditions with the project to be reprogrammed in March.
The A83 has been closed for safety due to a series of major landslips experienced throughout 2020.
Since August most traffic was being convoyed by an official vehicle on the OMR but even that has been frequently shut overnight because of fears that even it could be hit by landslides - leaving motorists with the 60-mile detours.
The £1m barrier.
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.
READ MORE: £80m 'wasted' over multiple failed fixes to iconic A83 Rest and Be Thankful
Some locals have called for a public inquiry into the problems, with many saying a permanent solution must be found.
In September, Transport Scotland published 11 options for a new route to replace the landslip-prone section of the A83 include building up to three bridges or tunnels. But the choice of solution is not expected till next year.
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