Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost was of tunnelling in relation to its consideration of a long-term solution for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful, and how this compared with the option it chose of constructing a debris flow shelter.
The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and shares the urgency communities and businesses place on maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route.
During the Route Options Assessment process cost estimates were developed for each of the options under consideration. The two options considered which included a tunnel were the ‘Pink’ and ‘Purple’ options with estimated costs ranging from £1.3 billion to £1.38 billion and £968.3 million to £1.1 billion at 2023 prices respectively, which are, individually, more than double the cost of the preferred ‘Brown’ route option, at £404.2 million to £465.4 million at 2023 prices.
A comparative assessment of operation and maintenance costs was also undertaken, which estimated that the preferred route option had the lowest cost, totalling approximately £24.6 million. In comparison the Pink and Purple Options were estimated to have operation and maintenance costs of £117.5 million and £138.8 million respectively.
The estimated costs of all options can be viewed in the DMRB Stage 2 Route Options Assessment Report available on the Transport Scotland website.