The next phase of improvements at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful gets underway on 21 June with the start of a £470k drainage project funded by Transport Scotland.

Contractor George Leslie Ltd, will upgrade the road drainage system over ten weeks, building a new culvert under the A83, strengthening the embankment and installing new drainage above and below the road.

Keith Murray, Transport Scotland's Project Manager explained: "This is an area that is prone to landslides with series of serious slips in recent years.

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"While we cannot prevent this completely we are delivering works that should enable us to keep the A83 safer and open.

"This drainage work will help reduce the risk of debris flowing onto the road and will add to the work carried out earlier this year to install debris fences on the hillside."

Other recent measures include the installation of new wig wag signs as part of a two-year pilot to test their efficiency as a warning system for drivers.

Rest and be Thankful are the words which are located on a stone near the junction of the A83 and the B828, placed there by soldiers who built the original Military road in 1753, which is referred to as the 'Drovers' road'.

The original stone fell into ruin and was replaced by a commemorative stone at the same site. It is now a major landmark.

(GK/BMcC)