A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

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J--M--B
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by J--M--B »

A new sign has been erected for the alternative route via the ferry.

A83 Task Force erect positive signage on diversion options
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Burns
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Burns »

The A83 Task Force, chaired by Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, has now erected a strongly positive sign on the A83
Strongly positive. Where did he erect this sign, the south pole? Haw!
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by J--M--B »

Interesting idea for the Rest And Be Thankful in For Argyll

Rest and Be Thankful project the best possible transformational flagship for Argyll
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by J--M--B »

Two cars caught up in the latest landslide.

A83 now closed with landslide at Rest & Be Thankful
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Ruperts Trooper »

J--M--B wrote:Two cars caught up in the latest landslide.

A83 now closed with landslide at Rest & Be Thankful
That's frioghtening for the one car on the barrier!
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by J--M--B »

Ruperts Trooper wrote: That's frioghtening for the one car on the barrier!
The lady in the car certainly thinks so.
Jane questioned if work would be done to make the Rest and Be Thankful, which is prone to ­landslides, safer. She said: “Does one of us have to die before ­something is done? It’s not safe.”
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Kenny1975 »

speaking of the old military road diversion I had the pleasure or misfortune using it a few years back in the snow. Was coming back from Campbeltown and the diversion was in place.

It was a convoy system even though it was quiet and getting later at night waited for about 20mins to use the diversion majority of it is fine but the start of it heading West to east is a really tight hairpin down a steep decline in was driving an artic it was a bit tight but after that it was fine.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

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clc
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by clc »

Not actually about the Rest and Be Thankful but I see from the Roadworks website that the Strome Point realignment starts next month.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by wrinkly »

Press release:

http://www.transport.gov.scot/news/a83- ... tinue-pace
A83 improvements continue at pace

The A83 Taskforce has been given a further update on the on-going work to improve the operation of one of Scotland’s most iconic routes.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf outlined the details of the work programme for 2017/2018 at a meeting in Arrochar today.

The planned package, for which funding was announced last year, includes further landslide mitigation at The Rest and Be Thankful and Glen Kinglas as well as wider improvements at Whitebridge Cottage and Strone Point.

The programme was welcomed by the Taskforce, which includes members of local businesses and community representatives.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said:

“We had an extremely positive discussion at the Taskforce today and I had the opportunity to outline on-going work on the A83, demonstrating the Scottish Government’s continuing commitment to Argyll and Bute.

“This is a lifeline route and we are listening to local concerns and taking a positive approach to landslide mitigation. A comprehensive and innovative range of solutions has been implemented so far, including netting and the upgrade of the Old Military Road, and these measures will be enhanced further with the construction of new catch-pits.

“The total investment in landslide mitigation at the Rest will stand at £13.5 million by the end of 2018. In total, £56 million has been invested in the A83 since 2007 and we’ll see the latest results of this in the coming weeks with the completion of work to widen the Old Military Road diversion route.”
Publication Date:
Tue 14/Mar/2017
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by rileyrob »

The continuing heavy rain of the last couple of days has closed the rest again. Transport Scotland are reporting that the diversion is via the A85, which either means that they are having to do prep on the old road diversion before opening, or it is also blocked... Or someone has forgotten about it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... t-45795343

EDIT: And less than an hour later, the A85 gets blocked at a critical point at Dalmally by an accident. Diversion now via Glencoe?
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Glen »

They can't just open the gates and let traffic onto the old road, there needs to be a convoy system in operation.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Altnabreac »

A tunnel from Succoth to Glen Kinglass has to be the best long term solution.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Euan »

I can only imagine the long queues of extra traffic on the A82 between Tarbet and Ardlui stuck behind lorries as they squeeze past each other on the bends with just enough width. Maybe, as an alternative, Western Ferries could offer a temporary discount on the Gourock - Dunoon vehicle ferry service during the A83 RaBT closure to provide a viable alternative route from Glasgow to Cowal, Mid Argyll and Kintyre.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Robert Kilcoyne »

Euan wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 15:37 I can only imagine the long queues of extra traffic on the A82 between Tarbet and Ardlui stuck behind lorries as they squeeze past each other on the bends with just enough width. Maybe, as an alternative, Western Ferries could offer a temporary discount on the Gourock - Dunoon vehicle ferry service during the A83 RaBT closure to provide a viable alternative route from Glasgow to Cowal, Mid Argyll and Kintyre.
It is a sobering thought that if the A82 is blocked anywhere between Tarbet and Crianlarich while the Rest and Be Thankful remains closed, the only realistic all-road diversion for HGV's from Glasgow to Kintyre would be the M80, M9, A84, A85 and A816.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by KeithW »

Euan wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 15:37 I can only imagine the long queues of extra traffic on the A82 between Tarbet and Ardlui stuck behind lorries as they squeeze past each other on the bends with just enough width. Maybe, as an alternative, Western Ferries could offer a temporary discount on the Gourock - Dunoon vehicle ferry service during the A83 RaBT closure to provide a viable alternative route from Glasgow to Cowal, Mid Argyll and Kintyre.
Having seen how coastal ferry services work in Alaska and Norway I wonder if there is a pattern there that could be of use in Scotland. Instead of using just having multiple short crossings you also have less frequent services that visit multiple destinations. I could envisage a service sailing from Gourock to Dunoon, Rothesay and Campbeltown before going on to Islay and Jura. Both the Hurtigruten and Alaska Marine Highway system have evolved from offering a no frills ferry and cargo service to offering a mini cruise option used by tourists and locals alike.

The AMHS is interesting as it is operated by the Alaska State Government and is decidedly non commercial even allowing passengers who don't pay for cabins to put tents up on the open upper deck !

Image

Even if you book an outside cabin as I did its an awful lot cheaper than the cruise ships along the same route. Meal service is hardly cordon bleu but the food in the self service cafeteria is good and not expensive. The ship I sailed on (the MV Matanuska) is an ice strengthened vessel that is relatively small displacing 6000 tons so could safely operate in most coastal channels. Although its a Ro-Ro ferry it uses side entry and exit doors rather than bow and stern ramps which makes it eminently seaworthy

Since travelling from Skagway to Prince Rupert I have wondered if a similar service operating the Clyde along the western islands as far as Lewis and Harris could be a successful undertaking. I would certainly consider using it.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Al__S »

I don't think there's enough potential traffic, especially with the (when the roads are open) longer journey times that a ferry round the Mull of Kintyre, with multiple stops, would entail. That ferry you link to is about 1/5th bigger again than the largest of CalMac's fleet, and so would likely involve a big investment in new linkspans that could accommodate it (especially if you want to include side-loading!), plus obviously enough ferries (even for just a daily service you'll need I reckon two, depending how long you make the route- stops mean time!).
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Euan »

Glen wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 09:10 They can't just open the gates and let traffic onto the old road, there needs to be a convoy system in operation.
It seems like that is the plan for tomorrow once the road has been cleared of material.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Euan »

Euan wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 18:45
Glen wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 09:10 They can't just open the gates and let traffic onto the old road, there needs to be a convoy system in operation.
It seems like that is the plan for tomorrow once the road has been cleared of material.
As it turns out, the military road has been deemed unsafe at the moment and cannot be used as an alternative to the A83. So for now it would appear that the majority of Argyll will continue to be served on the mainland via the A85 at Dalmally.
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Re: A83 Rest And Be Thankful blocked again

Post by Berk »

Although I’m braced for an onslaught of naysayers, I think it’s high time the A83 was improved to become an all-weather route.

Landslides seem to occur with such regularity the diversion is in use maybe a third of the year. I am sure the Scottish government would be able to commit funding to such a lifeline route.

The real question is how many metres and tons of earth are needed to be stabilised?? Despite being in an ‘unspoilt’ location, would some blasting help to remove the worst affected areas??
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