This is incredible

[Wildfisher]

In Scotland we can't even solve trivial problems like the A83 Rest And Be Embarrassed and everything grinds to halt any time a snowflake is spotted.

This is how Norway fixes things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG8jDu0xyQk

[Guest_8]

I'd imagine a large part of such infrastructure is funded by the Oljefondet, whereas we allowed the oil companies to use our version as pure profit.

Well done us.

[Wildfisher]

Well who knows, but I've seen similar road projects in New Zealand Southern Alps where the climate is far wetter and the mountains vastly higher than the A83.  I suspect that no matter how much money was thrown at the problem modern Scotland would still struggle to fix The  Rest. Shame really,  at one time we had the best engineers on the planet as witnessed by projects like the Forth Rail Bridge. I wonder what happened? 

[Guest_8]

Crikey, we probably couldn't afford the FRB now, the steel work costs would be horrendous! 

I've always been a bit conflicted about road upgrades to the north, always a fine balance between rural prosperity and the likes of what has been witnessed on the NedCoast500 in the last few years.

[Wildfisher]

With you on the NedCoast500 but therein  may be the solution. 

A Super Tax on campervans all proceeds to go to A83 improvements. We can start with the hunners currently free-loading in Arbroath.

[Bobfly]

These Norwegian clearances are them opening up in the springtime a number of roads abandoned throughout the winter. That said they at least know how to put in adequate bridges and large culverts for hill burns, and snow roofs on avalanche slopes. The RnBT would be an long gone away fix for them.

For the Forth Rail Bridge we need to see it as a British project not an example of Scottish engineering......... the designers were English and four out of five of the contractors were English, as also the steel used for the bridge ... !

[ianmck]

The rest and be thankful still has "temporary" traffic lights at the section where they are doing "improvements". It feels like the lights have been there for many years now. They have probably spent considerably more on feasibility studies than they have on actual work at this point.

[burnie]

Crikey, we probably couldn't afford the FRB now, the steel work costs would be horrendous! 

I've always been a bit conflicted about road upgrades to the north, always a fine balance between rural prosperity and the likes of what has been witnessed on the NedCoast500 in the last few years.

Another fine example of this Govt. and it's minions passing the idea to someone who clearly never actually visited the place first to see if it would actually work. This govt invited everyone to come, it's not their fault that there's no infrastructure in place to support it and the locals. Another fine mess from the SNP again.
On the bridge, they have built a new road bridge along side the FRB, but of course no-one told the designers we get ice and snow up here and that the bridge has to be closed every winter because it's too dangerous to use. Another fine mess from the SNP again.