An additional £3 million is being invested by the Scottish Government in the A83 in the coming year.

This further investment will be added to the £9m that has already been spent around the Rest and Be Thankful in recent years to improve resilience and to help keep local communities connected in the event of landslides.

Transport minister Derek Mackay made the announcement today at the latest meeting of the A83 Task Force in Arrochar during an update on how work on the A83 Route Study is progressing.

The extra money will be used to take forward landslide mitigation work in Glen Kinglas and at Strone Point corner.

The minister also asked for further work to be carried out into what extra measures could be used to ensure continuity of access to Argyll and Bute.

Mr Mackay said: “The Scottish Government is firmly committed to mitigating the effects on landslides on the A83 and this further investment will allow us to take forward more work at the Rest and Be Thankful and at other areas prone to landslides.

“This is a vital route for communities in Argyll. We know how important it is that the road stays in operation to allow people to go about their daily lives and to allow the transfer of goods and services throughout the area.

“The most recent landslide events have shown us that we can keep Argyll open for business. The netting at the Rest and Be Thankful has prevented thousands of tonnes of rubble reaching the road and this has kept disruption to a minimum. The Old Military Road Diversion Route has shown it’s worth and brought time savings for the drivers who have made use of it.

“Our efforts to improve conditions along the length of the route are continuing with £32 million pounds spent in the last seven years. We are committed to progressing work at Strone Point, Erines and Dunderave in the coming months with the overall aim of keeping traffic moving and building greater resilience into the A83 as a whole.”

The chair of the Task Force Marketing and Communications group, Mike Story, said: “The Argyll and Bute Business community welcome the additional funding for this vitally important route. We are delighted that the Scottish Government have shown continued commitment to keep Argyll and the Isles open for business.”