Tunnelling among solutions for Scottish Highlands road

The A83 is a key road to the Scottish Highlands but the section at Rest and Be Thankful is often closed because of the danger of landslides. It was most recently closed in February after heavy rain.

Campaigners have been fighting for a permanent fix and now Transport Scotland has invited five organisations to tender for the design of a long-term solution. They are: Arcadis Consulting (UK)/Sweco UK; Arup & Fairhurst; Atkins/WSP UK; Stantec UK / RPS Consulting Services; and Jacobs/Aecom.

The five options, including tunnelling, are being considered for a preferred route at Glen Croe and Transport Scotland has been consulting with the Norwegian government on how it deals with similar conditions.

Transport minister Jenny Gilruth said: “As two of the five options for the long-term solution include a tunnel, we have held discussions with the Norwegian government to learn from their experiences in assessing and building tunnels. As the project progresses, we will continue to learn from Norway’s experience, and that of other relevant communities and countries as we work towards finding the right solution to meet the need to create a truly resilient and safe route for the A83.”

In January Transport Scotland appointed Raeburn Drilling & Geotechnical to undertake ground investigations to help identify a long-term solution for the landslide-prone section of the road.