Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
The A83 road is to reopen tomorrow (Saturday) following a recent landslip in Argyll.Scotland TranServ, which has been working to remove debris and make the road safe, has given the all clear for the road to open over the weekend.
In recent days, a specialist helicopter from Inverness has been called in to assist in the clear up process. Yesterday, high pressure water pipes were used to carry out a controlled landslip of the remaining hazardous material above the road, and the work is now at such an advance stage that the road can now reopen.
There remains a final stage of work to remove the last of the debris which will happen during a temporary 24-48 hour closure early next week, but it is expected that the road will be open permanently towards the end of next week.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said:
"This has been a frustrating time for everyone. The reality is that we are at the mercy of nature, and the weather has hampered efforts this week, but the experts on the ground have been battling as hard as they possibly can to make the road safe. I am sure local communities will be delighted with the good news today.
"Having visited the site on Monday, I have seen for myself the sheer scale of the problem that has faced our roads engineers and know just how concerning this incident has been for local people and businesses. The engineers have worked as fast as they can to open the road, recognising the crucial importance of the A83 for local communities, businesses, and tourists.
"I am delighted that the road is now opening again on Saturday. With one final piece of work due early next week, it looks like local communities can now look forward to the road being open permanently towards the end of next week."
A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful will be re-opened to single lane working, controlled by traffic lights from the hours of 0800 Saturday November 10, until 0800 Monday November, 12. Before this can be undertaken, it is necessary to carry out a package of measures including erection of safety fencing, removal of debris from the carriageway, drainage ditches and the slope and the removal of the temporary diversion signage. This work will be today to allow safe passage of traffic once the road is re-opened.
There remains further work regarding final removal of debris and this will require a further road closure of between 24 to 48 hours on Monday. This is weather dependent, but forecasts indicate the weather window will be Monday November 12 /Tuesday November 13.
