Motorists are facing a 55-mile detour next month amid plans to close part of the A82 for nearly two weeks.
The A82 between Tarbet and Crianlarich will be closed between 8am and 6pm on weekdays from Monday 6th November to 21st November. The road will be open outside those times, and at weekends.
Road crews are gearing up to begin a major package of road improvements worth over £1M starting next week.
Starting on Monday 6 November, works teams totalling over 90 operatives and associated plant and delivery vehicles will complete a number of schemes on the route over a 12 day period.
The project was given the go-ahead earlier in the month after a public consultation with the community, MSPs, MPs, businesses, residents, Emergency Services and other stakeholders including a public exhibition and letter drop to over 600 addresses.
The programme of improvements includes full replacement of a heavily damaged crash barrier after an HGV incident in May earlier this year. This will allow removal of the temporary traffic lights which have been in place since the accident.
Risk assessments determined that due to the topography of the location – the narrow verge, heavily overgrown embankment, steep drop into loch – and the need to work on the slope itself to install the foundation for the barrier, day time road closures are required to complete the safe installation of 400 metres of replacement safety barrier.
To make full use of the road closure required for the barrier replacement, over 12 different contractors working in multiple squads will be utilised to deliver a wide variety of road maintenance and improvement schemes including over 4km of carriageway resurfacing, drainage works, cutting back of vegetation and trees, sign replacement, new road lining and studs, removal of unstable stone walls, repairs to damaged walls and a bridge parapet as well as miscellaneous minor works.
BEAR Scotland have reached out to other organisations who require to work on the A82 to take full advantage of the day time road closures. Teams from Argyll and Bute and Stirling Councils will carry out litter picking duties and Forestry Commission Scotland will undertake tree felling within their land adjacent to the trunk road. Discussions have also taken place with Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to undertake some minor improvements on their behalf and with Consultants who will be carrying out survey works required to deliver the planned A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan Upgrade for Transport Scotland.
The programme will begin on Monday 6 November, with the A82 between Tarbet and Crianlarich closed to through traffic from 8am to 6pm each day, Monday to Fridays only for 12 days, ending on Tuesday 21 November. Access will be maintained at all times to locations between the closure points for local residents, businesses, Emergency Services, school transport and all scheduled service buses. In the interests of safety for the large number of operatives working on the carriageway during the closure, all through traffic will be diverted via the A83, A819 and A85.
An additional project at Dubh Eas Bridge near the Falls of Falloch has also been added to the programme which will see specialist teams apply a special protective paint to the steel beams of the bridge. To complete the project will take around six weeks with temporary traffic lights in operation for most of the period. Therefore, by starting work on the scheme during the daytime closures, the overall impact of this scheme on road users is significantly reduced.
Commenting on the improvements, Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said: “We’ve been preparing for the major programme of work to get underway on Monday, and are looking forward to mobilising on site next week to get started on the £1M programme of improvements on the route.
“Trunk road safety is our top priority, and in this case we have to close the road for the protection of our teams as well as motorists. We have however reached out to other organisations not just to inform them of the closures, but also to provide the opportunity for them to use the traffic management arrangements we have in place to carry out any works of their own.
“As such we now have teams coming on board from both Stirling Council and Argyll & Bute Council who will be carrying out litter picking duties, as well as works being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
“Our bridges team will also carry out the start of a painting scheme on the A82 near Falls of Falloch, making full use of the traffic management that is available to minimise the overall impact of the project. The steel-protection painting works will continue for a further four weeks after the closures under traffic light control for safety.
“We’ll be sharing daily updates online about our progress on site, and we encourage all road users to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date information.”
Bear Scotland wants to close the trunk road between Crianlarich and Tarbet to repair a safety barrier which was damaged in an accident in May.
Temporary traffic lights have been in place since a lorry went through the barrier south of Inveruglas.
The road could be closed from 08:00 – 19:00 on weekdays between 6-21 November.
Bear Scotland said maintenance and improvement works costing £885,000 would also be carried out during the closure.
They would include 4km (2.5miles) of re-surfacing, drainage works and repairs and replacement of signs.
Eddie Ross, of Bear Scotland, said: “We only ever close roads when it is essential. In this case the barrier that needs to be replaced is so close to the loch and is in such a restricted space that it is unsafe for our teams to work there with heavy machinery at night time. This means daytime working is the only option.
“We’ve taken steps to avoid working over the summer and October holidays, when traffic flows are generally busier. The dates proposed will mean the temporary traffic lights are removed and the works can be completed before the winter weather really sets in.”
Attention – Road works on the A82. The road between Tarbet and Crianlarich will be closed to all but essential and emergency vehicles between the hours of 8am and 6pm Mon- Fri 13 to 24 November. Anyone walking to Inveruglas and hoping to be collected by car should make alternative arrangements for travel from there. It seems that buses will operate but check in advance.