Scotland's most notorious road was forced to close to traffic on Sunday morning following a landslide.
Road maintenance and management firm BEAR Scotland said the A83 was closed briefly at Rest and Be Thankful due to 'hillside concerns'.
The firm reports that overnight rainfall triggered a 500-tonne landslide.
Following a safety review, the road reopened to traffic around 11am via the Old Military Road short local diversion.
Geotechnical engineers assessed the situation and reported that the material had been successfully intercepted by the debris fences and pits in the location.
READ MORE: Scot Gov forks out £16 million on A83 design and assessment
It is intended that the Old Military Road will be used through to Tuesday day-time, when a decision will be made on the full reopening the A83.
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland project manager said: “The on-site traffic management team swiftly alerted of discoloured water and debris coming down a hillside channel at 7:30am this morning and the A83 was immediately closed as a safety precaution.
"The prompt mobilisation of the Old Military Road has minimised the use of the longer diversion route and ensured that Argyll and Bute remains open for business.
"Road users should expect delays of around 20 minutes whilst they are safely led through the short diversion route. We will review the situation over the course of the next few days to ensure it is safe to reopen the A83 fully, under traffic signal control.
“The debris fences and pit have retained all of the debris from what was a considerable landslide event. They have protected road users and protected the road itself from damage and will greatly speed up the clear-up operation.”
The A83 through Glen Croe in Argyll, known as The ‘Rest and be Thankful’, has a history of landslides which have impacted the operation of the A83 trunk road.
On Saturday, The Herald reported how The Scottish Government has spent £16 million in less than four years on design and assessment for work on the beleaguered stretch of road.
Last year, it was agreed a shelter would be built above the road to protect it and passing cars from debris caused by landslides, while a medium-term solution will see cars use the adjacent Old Military Road.
According to figures provided to the Scottish Tories by Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, just in excess of £16 million has been spent on design and assessment, with nearly £5 million spent between the beginning of this year and August 16.
“The Scottish Government is committed to delivering medium and long-term solutions to address the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful,” she said in response to a written question in Holyrood from Scottish Tory MSP Tim Eagle earlier this week.
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