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Transport Scotland has held discussions with the Norwegian government to learn about constructing tunnels, as part of plans to provide a solution to a stretch of road in the Highlands plagued by landslips.

Last year, the government announced work was being progressed for a resilient route through Glen Croe to replace the key transport artery along the A83, known as the Rest and Be Thankful.

Transport Scotland has now invited five consultants to tender for the next stage of work, which involves designing a long-term solution at Glen Croe.

Options include constructing new lengths of carriageway, viaducts, tunnels and debris flow shelters, as well as additional landslide mitigation work.

In 2020, the road was closed for more than 200 days, with 20,000 tonnes of debris recorded; an increase of 15,000 tonnes on the previous year.

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Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “Improving the resilience of the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful remains a key transport priority for the Scottish government.

“I want to assure local residents, business and communities that we are aware of the urgent need to make progress on this – that is why we are pursuing measures to maintain connectivity on a short, medium and long term basis in parallel.

“We intend to finalise proposals for the medium-term solution for the resilient route through Glen Croe by the Autumn.”

Gilruth added: “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.”

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