TRAFFIC has returned to the A83 Rest and Be Thankful but the Old Military Road remains in use overnight from 7pm to 7am.

Due to an improvement in hillside conditions, traffic returned to the route under convoy at 7am this morning (Tuesday, September 24).

The A83 will be in use during the day and will be closely monitored, with traffic being diverted onto the Old Military Road at night from 7pm as a safety precaution during the hours of darkness.

The landslide event on September 15 and the follow-up movements on September 18 caused significant damage to the hillside and left a considerable volume of unstable material on the hill.

This has been closely monitored by officials over the weekend and BEAR Scotland have made some changes to water follow paths to help dry out saturated areas.

Now that movements have stopped, traffic is able to return to the A83 during daylight hours.

During the hours of darkness, when monitoring is less effective, traffic will use the short Old Military Road diversion.

There is some uncertainty over the midweek forecast with the potential for heavy rainfall, therefore daily updates will be provided on the timings of the use of the A83 and the Old Military Road.

Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative, said: “Underground water triggered a landslip on Sunday, September 15 and this continued to saturate a section of hillside despite dry weather.

"Some subtle changes to water flow paths have now improved that situation which has allowed us to plan re-opening the A83 for Tuesday morning.

“As a precaution, traffic will use the Old Military Road in the hours of darkness when monitoring is less effective.

“The forecast is currently showing the possibility of a band of heavy rain moving in on Wednesday evening so further information will be provided on a daily basis as the situation evolves.”