A ROUTE adjacent to the existing A83 has been revealed as Argyll and Bute Council’s preferred option as a solution to problems at the Rest and Be Thankful.

However, the authority has also said that a further option to link Arden with Lochgilphead, making use of current roads and building two crossings over water “may provide merit for longer term consideration”.

Councillors approved the council’s response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the Rest and Be Thankful at a full meeting today (Thursday, October 22).

A statement said: “A permanent solution within the existing 2km corridor of the A83 is the only realistic solution to prevent ongoing disruption at the Rest and Be Thankful, and should be progressed as a priority.”

READ MORE: 11 options revealed to improve access to Argyll and Bute via A83

Continued landslips at the stretch of the A83 have led to closures, sometimes with the Old Military Road being unavailable, as was the case this week following a yellow weather warning for heavy rain from Sunday.

In August the Scottish Government committed to a permanent solution, with 11 options drafted by Transport Scotland last month.

In its response to option one, the preferred option alongside the existing A83, the council said: “Argyll and Bute Council is ambitious for its area.

“That ambition must be tempered with a degree of realism – Argyll and Bute needs a solution to be delivered as soon as possible and the delivery timeline is a key issue in considering options.

“That is why the council supports option one as offering realistic solutions which will increase resilience on the A83 and provide the uninterrupted year-round access that Argyll and Bute needs and deserves.

“This route corridor appears, on the face of it, to offer the most deliverable set of solutions within an option, although these remain engineering projects of considerable significance and which will be complex to progress.”

READ MORE: Opinion: Say 'no' to tolls on new A83 route

Argyll and Bute Council leader, councillor Robin Currie said: “After careful consideration of all the options presented in the consultation, the only realistic solution to prevent further disruption to this major trunk road in and out of Argyll and Bute, is to look at option one.

"After years of disruption, we now have the promise of a permanent solution but we also need a commitment that our preferred option can be delivered within the term of the next Scottish Parliament. We need a solution to be delivered as soon as possible in order for it to provide uninterrupted year-round access that Argyll and Bute needs and deserves. It is one thing looking at options, we now need a firm agreement regarding when work will start.”

In addition to urgent work needed at the Rest and Be Thankful, the council is also calling for longer term improvements along the A83 trunk road to deal with substandard alignment and drainage and flooding issues, both of which can impact seriously on the route; and an additional, long-term and ambitious route into Argyll and Bute along the line of option five.

The option five route would make use of existing roads while new crossings would be built over Loch Long between Whistlefield and Barnacabber, and Loch Fyne between Otter Ferry and Port Ann.

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