Despite hopes that the B828 to Lochgoilhead from the A83 would re-open on December 22, a last-minute decision saw it remain closed over Christmas.
Argyll and Bute Council had posted on its website that it had planned to open the road on the Friday before Christmas but this message was with replaced that day with the news that it was not happening.
Instead the council reported that ‘specialist contractors’ working on behalf of Forestry and Land Scotland had advised that two large boulders weighing up to 300 tonnes each had become ‘unstable’.
“Due to public safety, the road will therefore remain closed over the festive period,” said a council statement. “Contractors will continue to monitor the situation.”
While access is to still available to Lochgoilhead via Hell’s Glen and and the A815, the B828 from the top of the Rest and Be Thankful on the A83 has been closed since the heavy rain on the weekend of October 7-8 which saw landslips on various roads through Argyll.
All other roads closed following the flooding have since re-opened including the A816, where thousands of tonnes of soil and rock descended from the hillside south of Ardfern. A diversion was built and opened on December 16.
The B828 was closed because of a landslip, damage to the road at various places and the Lochgoilhead bridge was undermined, where flood waters had scoured the foundations.
The bridge repairs have been completed with anchored concrete beams and retaining walls to restore the road edge, and the digging out and filling in of scoured areas, followed by drainage repairs and a new safety fence. There are a number of locations along the B828 where rock nailing and support beams are being installed.