BEAR Scotland teams have been hard at work supporting ongoing resilience efforts at the Rest and Be Thankful throughout the spring and early summer period, working closely with Transport Scotland and other partners to help keep the A83 running safely.

A key achievement this period was the installation of a new debris catch fence above a high roadside retaining wall between two significant hillside channels. These specialist measures, delivered in partnership with our sub-contractor, strengthen the hillside mitigation already in place, reducing the risk of debris impacting the trunk road and helping to protect the A83 whilst medium- and long-term solutions continue to be developed by Transport Scotland.

Structural Soils Ltd, on behalf of Transport Scotland, are carrying out essential ground investigation works to inform the long-term solution at this time. Our communications team have been helping Structural Soils to notify local communities of their planned diversions onto the local Old Military Road allowing cranes safe work room to lift specialist equipment to and from the hillside.

In May, we were pleased to welcome CIRIA (the Construction Industry Research and Information Association) to the site. The visit, hosted by Transport Scotland, provided an opportunity to highlight the complex geotechnical challenges associated with the hillside and demonstrate the innovative risk management strategies in use.

We also took part in the A83 Taskforce meeting, a forum which allows us to interact with key stakeholders such as local MPs and business owners with updates on our maintenance and resilience efforts. It also offers a platform to hear progress updates on Transport Scotland’s long-term solution at the Rest and be Thankful.

Keeping those travelling on the A83 safe and making sure that Argyll and Bute remains open for business are our priorities as we continue to operate, manage and maintain the existing trunk road and Transport Scotland progress longer terms solutions for the route.