THE next stage of roadworks on the A83 to improve landslip resilience near the Rest and Be Thankful is set to begin in September.

Trunk roads maintenance company BEAR Scotland is to spend £1.1 million on a further catch-pit next to the carriageway west of Ardgartan.

The new pit will be located next to the three catch-pits which were completed in July 2019.

The project is expected to take up to five months to complete.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place throughout, while some spells of 24-hour working will be required.

Once complete the new catch-pit will be 120m long, around 12m wide and capable of holding around 4,500 tonnes of debris material from a potential landslip.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative, said: “We’re pleased that we can progress with the next phase of landslip resilience on the A83 and begin work on the £1.1m catch-pit project at the Rest and Be Thankful.

“We’re gearing up to begin work on site in September and we’re working closely with our specialist contractor to ensure the project can progress safely.

The company said it would be paying close attention to government advice in relation to coronavirus to ensure that full safety restrictions, risk assessments and strict physical distancing protocols are adopted.

Mr Ross added: “We’ll continue to work with Transport Scotland to improve resilience of the A83 and do all we can to help ensure Argyll remains open for business.”