The A82-My thoughts

[Burns]

The difficulty is where the various bits - the engineering, the political will, the national park requirements, the tourism all combine. It is satisfying those requirements within the Scottish Government's budget that is the difficult bit.

Hence why tunneling is the best idea. You provide a modern, safe route around the loch whilst causing minimal impact to the visual appeal of the area.

[Ruperts Trooper]

The difficulty is where the various bits - the engineering, the political will, the national park requirements, the tourism all combine. It is satisfying those requirements within the Scottish Government's budget that is the difficult bit.

Hence why tunneling is the best idea. You provide a modern, safe route around the loch whilst causing minimal impact to the visual appeal of the area.

Denying tourists any chance of actually seeing Loch Lomond.

[Owain]

The difficulty is where the various bits - the engineering, the political will, the national park requirements, the tourism all combine. It is satisfying those requirements within the Scottish Government's budget that is the difficult bit.

Hence why tunneling is the best idea. You provide a modern, safe route around the loch whilst causing minimal impact to the visual appeal of the area.

Denying tourists any chance of actually seeing Loch Lomond.

Surely tourists who want to see the loch could simply take the old road?

I'm currently planning my next trip to Italy. There is a tunnel under the Great St Bernard Pass from Switzerland to Italy, but if I am a tourist looking for the full 'experience' I can take the old road over the top! Which is surely what I will do ... if I don't opt for the Simplon instead.

[exiled]

The difficulty is where the various bits - the engineering, the political will, the national park requirements, the tourism all combine. It is satisfying those requirements within the Scottish Government's budget that is the difficult bit.

Hence why tunneling is the best idea. You provide a modern, safe route around the loch whilst causing minimal impact to the visual appeal of the area.

Denying tourists any chance of actually seeing Loch Lomond.

You don't get much chance at the moment, either as a driver or a passenger.

[Burns]

If you want to see it, pull over at one of the many lay-bys or Inveruglas and go for a walk and bite to eat.

[exiled]

Would be easier to see if you could get the buses, coaches and HGVs off the A82.

[The Devil's Armpit]

I'd settle for widening to 7.3m along the current alignment through Rannoch and Glen Coe with adequately posted warnings of narrow bridges (where they haven't already been replaced) and leave it as that. .

Sounds good, and more lay-bys.

[owen b]

If you want to see it, pull over at one of the many lay-bys or Inveruglas and go for a walk and bite to eat.

My thoughts exactly.

In the great scheme of things that stretch of A82 doesn't need to carry much long distance traffic : basically Glasgow area traffic to / from Lochaber. Traffic for Oban can use the A83 and A819. Traffic going beyond Glasgow to the south or east can use M74/M73/M80/M9/A84/A85, which in my experience is barely slower and more reliable and less hassle from the M73/M74 junction to Crianlarich.

I'm not saying this stretch doesn't need to be improved, just that it's not quite such a critical link as might be supposed.

[exiled]

If you want to see it, pull over at one of the many lay-bys or Inveruglas and go for a walk and bite to eat.

My thoughts exactly.

In the great scheme of things that stretch of A82 doesn't need to carry much long distance traffic : basically Glasgow area traffic to / from Lochaber. Traffic for Oban can use the A83 and A819. Traffic going beyond Glasgow to the south or east can use M74/M73/M80/M9/A84/A85, which in my experience is barely slower and more reliable and less hassle from the M73/M74 junction to Crianlarich.

I'm not saying this stretch doesn't need to be improved, just that it's not quite such a critical link as might be supposed.

The problem with that is the infrastructure to the west of Scotland sends most long distance traffic along the A82, the green lining on the map does the same as does the single number on that route from Glasgow to Inverness.

Add to Glasgow International Airport increasingly being the hub airport for tourism, the A82 is the natural route.

It would ease the situation if the long distance goods vehicles could take a different route, but I feel to do that would need signage before Glasgow and possibly number changes for the A82 at that point.

[haymansafc]

I've driven up and down the A82 many times over the years – although I've not been up there for a good couple of years, now. I've yet to experience the Crianlarich or Pulpit Rock bypass's. Most of my trips into Scotland have involved me staying somewhere on the western shores of Loch Lomond, directly off the A82.

Overall, I really enjoy it. Sure, it has some sections which are desperately crying out for an upgrade or at least widened. Tarbet to Ardlui as already mentioned immediately springs to mind. However, I think it's a terrific driver's road and the Rannoch Moor/Three Sisters/Glencoe section is breathtaking. If I had to list a 'top three drives of all time' for myself, this would without doubt appear.

With regards to tunnelling at Loch Lomond, providing the old road remained open and free of any additional restrictions, I'd find it hard to put a case against it. I suspect all the businesses along it would have something to say though, as they'd lose a lot of passing trade. Whatever is done to the section north of Tarbet will take many years and a vast amount of money to achieve. Look how many years it took to resolve the issue of Pulpit Rock for instance...

I've always seen the A82 as an important road. The A9 does the east of Scotland (to a degree) whilst the A82 does the west – in my eyes at least. It's always been a prominent feature of our tours of Scotland over the years.

I'll get back up there one day…

[owen b]

If you want to see it, pull over at one of the many lay-bys or Inveruglas and go for a walk and bite to eat.

My thoughts exactly.

In the great scheme of things that stretch of A82 doesn't need to carry much long distance traffic : basically Glasgow area traffic to / from Lochaber. Traffic for Oban can use the A83 and A819. Traffic going beyond Glasgow to the south or east can use M74/M73/M80/M9/A84/A85, which in my experience is barely slower and more reliable and less hassle from the M73/M74 junction to Crianlarich.

I'm not saying this stretch doesn't need to be improved, just that it's not quite such a critical link as might be supposed.

The problem with that is the infrastructure to the west of Scotland sends most long distance traffic along the A82, the green lining on the map does the same as does the single number on that route from Glasgow to Inverness.

Add to Glasgow International Airport increasingly being the hub airport for tourism, the A82 is the natural route.

It would ease the situation if the long distance goods vehicles could take a different route, but I feel to do that would need signage before Glasgow and possibly number changes for the A82 at that point.

Try putting Glasgow Airport or even Erskine Bridge to Kessock Bridge into Google Maps and it will show you that A9 is significantly quicker than A82. The advantage will be even greater when the A9 is dualled. The A9 route is only 11 miles further from Glasgow Airport to Kessock Bridge than via A82. The A82 may look like the obvious route on a map but it isn't on the ground.

If you ask for Balloch to Kessock Bridge it doesn't give you A82, it gives you A811/A9. If you ask for Tarbet to Kessock Bridge, it only gives you A82 as far as Crianlarich, then it gives you A85, A827 Loch Tay, then B roads and minor roads to the A9. Only once you get as far north as Tyndrum is the A82 the quickest route to Inverness and points north. So I can see the logic that strategically Tarbet to Ardlui is not a key link except for Lochaber - Glasgow area / Ayrshire.

[exiled]

Try putting Glasgow Airport or even Erskine Bridge to Kessock Bridge into Google Maps and it will show you that A9 is significantly quicker than A82. The advantage will be even greater when the A9 is dualled. The A9 route is only 11 miles further from Glasgow Airport to Kessock Bridge than via A82. The A82 may look like the obvious route on a map but it isn't on the ground.

If you ask for Balloch to Kessock Bridge it doesn't give you A82, it gives you A811/A9. If you ask for Tarbet to Kessock Bridge, it only gives you A82 as far as Crianlarich, then it gives you A85, A827 Loch Tay, then B roads and minor roads to the A9. Only once you get as far north as Tyndrum is the A82 the quickest route to Inverness and points north. So I can see the logic that strategically Tarbet to Ardlui is not a key link except for Lochaber - Glasgow area / Ayrshire.

In terms of the through route to Inverness and for goods vehicles from most places, the main central route up the M73, M80, and the M/A9 is going to be more sense. But going for the soutern islands, to northern Argyll and Bute, to Lochaber and using a map from Glasgow the A82 looks more sense.

If the route could be clearer for goods out to Oban or Ft William from south of Glasgow that would help. And realistically this is all about 10 km of road out of the whole A82 route.

[ScottB5411]

That said... Glenwood Canyon on Interstate 70 anyone?

Having driven it numerous times now, it's just breathtaking scenery with the road hugging the side of the canyon, recommend the drive to anyone

[KeithW]

In fact Transport Scotland have published a study for improvements to the A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan route.
https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects ... nverarnan/

They came up with 3 options

Route Corridor 1 - the existing A82 route corridor
Route Corridor 2 - a route corridor from Arrochar to Inveruglas along Glen Loin to where it joins the existing A82 route corridor
Route Corridor 3 - a route corridor above and to the west of the West Highland Rail line

A tunnel option was considered but rules out due to the combination of high cost (£ 4 billion) and the fact that it would deliver lower economic benefits which presumably means loss of business for local hotels etc as people blow through the tunnel.

The stage 2 assessment chose an improvement scheme based on route 1 - details as follows

Inclusion of two short off-line sections near Ardvorlich
The alignment will be developed to reduce impact on properties and landowners.
The alignment will also be adjusted to assist construction and reduce delays to road users.
A carriageway width of 7.3 metres with 1 metre hardstrips has been chosen.

Essentially the road will be straightened and widened. The project is reportedly now at the design/survey stage.

[Glen]

The Tarbet to Inverarnan upgrade is at DMRB Stage 3 design work, ground investigations are to start in March this year.

The preferred option is an online upgrade to a 7.3 carriageway with hardstrips and a shared use path for non-motorised users on the loch side of the road.
There are two short offline options being considered in stage 3.

[wrinkly]

The preferred option is an online upgrade to a 7.3 carriageway with hardstrips

If I remember correctly the Pulpit Rock viaduct is narrower than that so will be a pinch point already.

[Glen]

The non-technical summary for the Pulpit Rock scheme says it was a 6m carriageway.

The outcome of the stage 2 assessment for Tarbet to Inverarnan proposed considering either a 6m or 7.3m carriageway, and both options were taken into stage 3.

Then to some ministerial fanfare last year, it was announced that the 7.3m option had been selected.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/wid ... te-design/

[ScottB5411]

6m on the new road? A coach is 2.5m wide, that'll be just as tight a squeeze as now

Seriously, any other country would have already built a tunnel as a bypass. The politics involved in road building in the UK is just a shambles.

[Ruperts Trooper]

The non-technical summary for the Pulpit Rock scheme says it was a 6m carriageway.

The outcome of the stage 2 assessment for Tarbet to Inverarnan proposed considering either a 6m or 7.3m carriageway, and both options were taken into stage 3.
Tarbet cross section.PNG

Then to some ministerial fanfare last year, it was announced that the 7.3m option had been selected.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/wid ... te-design/

That diagram includes the comment that 6m carriageway will be widened on bends.

[Glenn A]

I know it's congested in summer, but the A82 along Loch Ness is a spectacular drive. Of course, the alternative, if you like Aleister Crowley and Jimmy Page, is to drive along the other side of the Loch on the B652.( Apparently the notorious Boleskine House has burned down).