Argyll businesses worry over summer diversions at the Rest and be Thankful on the A83

Business owners in Argyll and Bute are worried that a major road closure during the height of the tourist season is going to have a major impact on their trade.

Carol Burns has been the owner of Fyne Malts of Inveraray for around a decade and has seen the business through a range of challenges.

But just as tourism in the Argyll town picks up for the summer, she’s now facing four months of uncertainty as a key route connecting the area to Glasgow is set for a series of closures.

The A83 at the Rest and be Thankful has been plagued by years of disruption due to a dangerous landslip.

And a new series of diversions via the single-track Old Military Road were put in place on Monday – the first of a series to last on-and-off until August.

The diversions will allow for ground investigations that Transport Scotland hopes will test the land and pave the way for an ambitious £470m tunnel solution in the area.

But for business owners like Carol, the disruption spells more challenges in attracting tourists and day-visitors to the town.

“It’s been going on for decades now,” she told STV News. “They have spent millions trying to sort it out and we do appreciate that, but they haven’t done it very well.”

Carol Burns, Fyne Malts of Inveraray. STV News

She added: “If you’re going on holiday or a day trip and it says this road is going to be contraflow and you’re going to be held up, then you’re going to head to Glen Coe or the Trossachs because it’s easier – and if you’ve got kids kicking in the back seat I don’t blame you.”

“It’s frustrating,” added Michael Robert Thomson, who owns Fyne Fish and Chips and Caffe Bella on the same high street.

“Locals are frustrated, some of the elderly have hospital appointments and it’s making them have to leave earlier or go different routes.

“We should be way ahead of the game. If there is to be a tunnel, that should have started ten years ago.”

Michael Robert Thomson, who owns Fyne Fish and Chips and Caffe Bella STV News

On the latest round of works he added: “It’s a busy time of year – do it in the winter. Or do it ten years ago when it should have been done.”

Meanwhile, at one of the town’s most popular tourist attractions, The Inveraray Jail, staff say visitor numbers have suffered through the years.

“It’s definitely impacted on the business,” said Katie Naylor, a staff member at the 19th Century museum.

“People are reluctant to come in over the bridge because they don’t know if they can get back. It’s definitely impacted work because we have staff that can’t get in and out – sometimes sitting for an hour-and-a-half in the morning just trying to get into work.”

Essential ground investigation works are being carried out on the days that diversions are in place.

Traffic will be diverted on to the Old Military Road (OMR) between 8am and 6pm on a number of days during May, June, July and August.

The concerns are not exclusive to Inveraray but are felt across Argyll, including the village of Lochgoilhead.

Supervisor Fiona Ramsay at The Goil Inn said: “There are times we’ve been completely cut off and isolated with the continual landslides and the flooding.

“I think there were three or four days you couldn’t get out the village. That hits us hard with supplies and there’s only two shops in the village.”

But Fiona also tried to find the silver lining: “I like the drive. I think the Military Road is beautiful and I guess people can take the time to enjoy the scenery of going through Scotland when it’s such a talked about and well known road.”

Gordon Ramsay, A83 project manager at Transport Scotland said: “The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering a permanent and resilient infrastructure solution to address the A83 Rest and Be Thankful landslip risks as a priority and as quickly as possible.

“Transport Scotland appreciates the frustration that traffic management, including diversions onto the OMR causes the local community, businesses and road users. As we carry out any works, we are committed to ensuring that Argyll and Bute remains open for business.

“These temporary diversions onto the OMR are key to maintaining safety for both road users and the workforce. We will work with the ground investigation contractor to complete the work as quickly as possible and to reduce the number of closures needed, if feasible. Transport Scotland would like to thank local communities and road users for their cooperation.

“The long term solution, consisting of a 1.4km debris flow shelter, is technically challenging and the landscape is dynamic, so it is vital to understand the terrain in order to develop a suitable solution of the correct standard in the correct place.”