THE Rest and Be Thankful is an emotive road through the west Highlands and has historic origins as a cattle droving track from early times up until General Wade superimposed his Military Road there in the early 18th century (“Old Military Road in Argyll reopens after landslip”, The Herald, October 16). In 1937 via the Government Crofter Counties Scheme the new A83 road construction was started along a new route to negate the trauma of the hairpins and steep gradient below the Rest on the Wade road. The new road cut into the southwest flank of Beinn Luibhean and followed a contour approximately equal to the summit at Loch Restil. The civil engineering work involved forming a berm and as such cutting into a slope of some 35 degrees to form the road and lest we forget the new construction would be to a lesser carriageway width than the currently built road. The 35-degree angle of slope is borderline in terms of its angle of repose stability.
The current road will be to standard A class highway construction and widening exercises would have been carried out on the southbound carriageway to accommodate the larger allowable articulated vehicle axle loads introduced in the early 1990s. This widening operation would no doubt have increased the potential for instability of the adjacent upper slope and as such this work is no doubt contributory to the ongoing landslip problem.
It is very apparent that the landslips are a regular new phenomenon and notwithstanding the foregoing comments a permanent solution must carefully consider the saturation and stability of the upper slopes. Basic lined and baffled shallow ditches running across the slopes at two or three incremental locations towards the existing deep gullies would help. This should be considered in conjunction with heather and dwarf willow planting of the upper soils for example. However, the works need to be carried out to a high standard and extremely well supervised. There is also the after-works management which is always the downfall with most worthwhile schemes; regular inspection, animal management and ditch clearing and removal of detritus.
No doubt the designers back in 1937 would be annoyed at this turn of events. Maybe then they would have favoured a rock tunnel through Beinn Luibhean from the car park at Laigh Glencroe to the north side of Loch Restil had they had the resource? It might be expensive at current rates, however it would at a stroke solve the problem. How much for a three-kilometre tunnel? Bet it’s not a lot more than two new hybrid ferries. Once complete the redundant section of the A83 could be filled in, landscaped and the slopes returned to their natural beauty and most importantly the original scenery of the Rest and Be Thankful restored for all. The Old Military Road in the valley floor should be maintained as a tourist-only route and only suitable for light traffic.
Archie Burleigh,
Meigle, Skelmorlie.
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