Bear Scotland has announced that the Old Military Road (OMR) local diversion route at the Rest and Be Thankful reopened this morning, Monday, at around 8am following a safety inspection by geotechnical teams at first light.

The local diversion route, which runs parallel to the A83 through Glen Croe, will remain in use for road users throughout today however it will close from 6pm this evening due to the saturation on the hillside and the further very heavy rain forecast.

Inspection teams remain on site and continue to assess conditions at the Rest following a weekend of heavy rain and with the anticipated weather forecast, it is possible that the OMR may remain closed until Thursday morning.

All traffic will be diverted between Tarbet and Inveraray via the A82, A85 and A819 when the OMR is closed.

Bear have been carrying out landslip mitigation works during drier conditions, but work has been regularly interrupted by periods of heavy rainfall. The work site and road have been closed a number of time to ensure the safety of both workers and road users.


Engineers will be progressing with a programme of landslip mitigation measures above the A83 including the reinstatement of the debris fences damaged on 31 October during Storm Aiden.

Eddie Ross, Bear Scotland's North West Representative said: "The OMR reopened this morning following a safety inspection at first light by our geotechnical team.

"Today we're focusing on monitoring the scarred hillside at the Rest, which is an ongoing process that supports the safe operation of the OMR given the significant rainfall being experienced which has highly saturated the hillside.

"A weather front is moving in which is expected to bring consistently heavy rain for the next few days in the area, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning from midnight tonight until 3pm on Wednesday.

"Road user safety is of paramount importance and we'll make a final decision this afternoon with regards to the operation of the OMR in the coming days, after careful review of the forecast and information from our geotechnical team.

"Engineers remain on site progressing with a programme of landslip mitigation measures at the Rest. The work required to reopen the A83, which includes the reinstatement of debris fences damaged during Storm Aiden at the end of October, has progressed well despite the inclement weather. Reopening the route is however delayed due to the storm expected to impact the Rest and Be Thankful tonight through to Thursday.

"As ever we thank all road users and the local community for their patience while we do everything we can to progress with the ongoing situation at the Rest."

A Met Office yellow warning for heavy rain has been issued across the west coast of Scotland from midnight tonight until 3pm on Wednesday. Between 75mm and 100mm of rain is forecast to fall in the area during the period.