Work completed on A83 emergency relief road in Glen Croe

Date: 26/2/2013

Work to establish an emergency relief route to divert traffic away from the Rest and Be Thankful section of the A83 has been completed in Scotland.

The project was introduced to provide an alternative road for vehicles to use whenever the A83 is forced to close - something that the BBC says has happened six times in the past five years as heavy rain has washed tonnes of debris down the hillside.

If and when the Rest and Be thankful route is closed again, motorists will no longer have to take diversions of up to 50 miles thanks to the new relief road.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "The emergency services will welcome this development which will help them to enhance their contingency planning arrangements, and hauliers and locals will also welcome the shorter diversion route which help them realise time and fuel savings."

Located along an old military road in Glen Croe, Argyll, the fresh emergency route has been tested by numerous vehicle convoys.

Posted by Sarah Bailey

Transport Research News and Vehicle Safety News