AN infamous lifeline Scots road has been shut for a further four days due to heavy rain.
Road engineers have confirmed that the notorious A83 at Rest and be Thankful was re-opened on a convoy basis on Tuesday morning following a safety inspection and an "improved" weather forecast.
Details of the latest closure came a matter of days after the Rest and be Thankful Campaign, warned that businesses will go to the wall by the end of the year because of an over 15-year failure to prevent landslips on the key route.
There have seven months of disruptions on the road due landslips and the threat of falling boulders.
The trunk road has been shut since Saturday night due to heavy rain. Around 120mm of rain was recorded as falling in the area throughout the period.
A yellow Met Office warning for heavy rain in Argyll has since been stood down and reduced to cover an area further north, with less rain anticipated than forecast for the coming days.
All traffic was directed to use the single-track Old Military Road on a convoy basis which runs parallel to the A83 through Glen Croe as a safety precaution during the weather front.
Transport Scotland-appointed road maintenance operator Bear Scotland said that due to increased daylight hours, the A83 will remain open during the daytime from 7.15am to 8pm each day starting on Wednesday with traffic being convoyed along the route when weather conditions allow.
Bear said all traffic will continue to be directed to use the single-track Old Military Road overnight, which it said adds approximately 10 to 15 minutes onto journey times in the area at night-time.
Meanwhile teams remain onsite monitoring conditions and any changes to the hillside. Bear said work continues with the ongoing programme of mitigation work in the area to strengthen resilience measures against landslips at the Rest.
READ MORE: Chaos on A83 at Rest and be Thankful will shut businesses and is a 'disaster' for economy and jobs, say campaigners
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative, said: “After a close review of the weather forecast and a thorough review of the hillside, water channels and slope beneath the road we were content to safely reopen the A83 to all road users this morning at around 7.15am.
“The forecast shows an improving picture and we’ll continue to have teams on site to monitor conditions in the area.
“Now that the clocks have gone forward we intend to run the A83 between 7.15am and 8pm each day, starting tomorrow (Wednesday), with traffic being safely convoyed through the area. Tonight we will switch traffic to the OMR at 6.30pm this evening due to the recent heavy rain in the area and further showers expected early evening.
“As a safety precaution the OMR will be used overnight for all road users, with traffic being convoyed through the single track road for safety.
“As ever we will continue to operate on a safety-first approach and we thank all road users and the local community for their patience while we progress with the ongoing mitigation work to strengthen resilience against landslips in the area.”
Transport Scotland have announced a preferred alternative to the A83 via five possible alternative routes at Glen Croe which could include a tunnel up to 1.8 miles - but no timescale or costs have been announced for the permanent solution.
Ministers have previously been accused of wasting nearly £80 million on more than a decade of failed solutions to landslides on the road with some locals calling for a public inquiry.
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