Delivery schedules and ferry connections at risk
For B Mundell, which operates from Islay, Glasgow and Tarbert, the proposal would affect around 100 journeys through the Rest and Be Thankful each week. General manager Matthew Mundell told Transport News, Motor Transport's sister publication, that the company's trucks had faced delays of 25 to 45 minutes under the previous convoy system, in addition to an existing three-hour journey from Glasgow.
Mundell said customers working to just-in-time delivery schedules could face production stoppages if trucks missed their booked ferries. CalMac charges the full fare as a no-show fee when a sailing is missed, he said. He also warned of reduced freight volumes, higher customer costs and wider consequences for communities, including late deliveries and more expensive essentials. If a full closure cannot be avoided, he wants phased or partial closures that would still let heavy goods vehicles through.
Calum McCrae, managing director of Cairndow-based quarrying, ready-mixed concrete and contracting company A&L McCrae, disputed Transport Scotland's estimate of a 25-minute delay in each direction. He said experience suggested much longer waits and warned that an accident or obstruction could shut the convoy route.
The longer alternative, known as the Loch Road diversion, would add 49 miles. It takes traffic from Tarbet along the A82 and A85 toward Dalmally, then south on the A819, increasing fuel use, costs and travel time. McCrae said parts of the A819 are too narrow for two trucks to pass, calling its suitability for prolonged heavy goods traffic into question.
Peter McKerral, director of Campbeltown-based Peter McKerral & Co, said as many as 30 of the firm's trucks use the route daily, carrying timber, milk, livestock, farm feeds and general freight. He favors continuous traffic in both directions and warned that heavy loads would struggle on the Old Military Road.
What the journey-time figures measure
Separate estimates discussed at A83 Taskforce meetings use different measurement periods. At the March 2026 meeting, Transport Scotland's project manager put the promoted scheme's average journey time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at roughly 15 minutes, while acknowledging that summer times were likely to be higher.
At the October 2025 Taskforce meeting, the diversion's average journey time had been given as about 11 minutes across a full 24 hours, according to The National. Campaign chair John Gurr told that meeting that the figure during the working day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., was closer to 30 to 45 minutes, with longer times at peaks.
Calls for a two-way route
Gurr said the Rest and Be Thankful Campaign Group represents 1,500 businesses and wants to present their concerns and its economic and practical evidence directly to Transport Scotland. Its central demand is a reliable, two-way A83 that can remain open when heavy rainfall increases the landslide risk. Transport Scotland is understood to favor proceeding with its original strategy largely unchanged.
Operators have suggested widening the Old Military Road for two-way traffic or upgrading the parallel Forestry Road so that the two routes could carry traffic in opposite directions. George McNaughton, director of Lochgilphead civil engineering firm George McNaughton & Son, supports using the Forestry Road uphill and the Old Military Road downhill.
McNaughton said his firm's projects beyond the Rest and Be Thankful require around 100 A83 journeys a week. He fears a landslide during major engineering work could bury the Old Military Road and cut off the diversion as well. In his view, an upgraded Forestry Road would provide an accessible alternative in that situation.
The campaign group's preferred solution is a two-way road along the existing forestry track, called the "green route," rather than separate medium- and long-term roads. In the March Taskforce minutes, the group said that road could be completed in six years, built for a 120-year lifespan and constructed away from the existing A83. It described the cost as "at least half the cost of the current proposals" and argued for building one road rather than two.
Transport Scotland's March 2026 assessment priced the two-way forestry-track option at £239 million to £255 million, according to The Herald. Assuming no public inquiry, the assessment allowed three and a half years before construction could begin, followed by about two and a half years of building work.
The campaign group also gave the Taskforce its estimate of the consequences of not providing a two-way road in the medium and long term: £532 million in direct economic impact, plus a further £400 million to £500 million from delayed investment.
Costs and timelines for the proposed schemes
For the currently promoted medium-term scheme, Transport Scotland's project manager gave an upper estimate of about £34 million, or £40 million adjusted for inflation, at the March 2026 Taskforce meeting. At that point, he said construction could begin in about 18 months if no public local inquiry was needed. An inquiry would add another 12 to 18 months.
The permanent solution is an open-sided debris flow shelter, approximately 0.9 miles (1.4 km) long, largely following the existing A83. Announced as the preferred option on June 2, 2023, it was estimated to cost £405 million to £470 million, as reported by BBC News. The Herald has subsequently described it as a £500 million project.
Construction had not started as of October 2026. Transport Scotland officials have warned that the permanent scheme may still need a public local inquiry, potentially delaying it further.
Meeting sought before a final decision
Opposition to the convoy proposal also prompted a September 18 letter to Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn. Led by Brendan O'Hara MP, it was signed by Jenni Minto MSP, Jackie Baillie MSP, council leader Jim Lynch and organizations including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Federation of Small Businesses, NFU Scotland and the Road Haulage Association.
The letter called the four-year convoy prospect "economically catastrophic for Argyll and Bute" and requested a meeting before a final decision, according to The National. O'Hara has also launched a petition against the plan and said he would write to every household in Argyll and Bute asking residents to sign. He said Transport Scotland was continuing to pursue the proposal and had sought the Cabinet Secretary's approval.
Transport Scotland has reaffirmed its commitment to a permanent answer to the landslide risk, with ministers expected to determine the medium-term approach after further consultation. The next A83 Taskforce meeting is scheduled for January 2027, but the agency said Flynn would meet campaign group members later in October before deciding on the medium-term solution.
