Another challenging project to come Land-Drill's way recently was the drilling work undertaken on the famous A83 Rest and Be Thankful Road. The road is named after The Rest and Be Thankful stone laid on the original military road that runs alongside the A83 which was completed by General Wades soldier's in 1754. This section is so named as the climb out of Glen Croe is so long and steep that it was traditional to rest and be thankful that you had got to the top. The stone has long since fallen into ruin, but has been replaced by a commemorative plaque.
This road was closed for a short while in 2007 due to a huge 400 tonne landslide, and Land-Drills work was part of the remedial measures that followed that deluge.
The challenge for Land-Drill was keeping the road open and traffic flowing freely while keeping a minimum of 3.25 metres of space for vehicles maintained at all times.
There was also the small problem of a drop of almost 70 metres on the side of the road where the ground falls down to the original military road below.
Matters were further exacerbated by the difficulties in bringing equipment to the site, this was a mammoth task in itself, with restricted access, no turning places, and weight restrictions on nearby bridges all conspiring to give Operations Manager Donald Mackenzie many sleepless nights.
The lack of space posed great problems while drilling the cable percussion and rotary boreholes. The work of course all took place in the midst of a typical Scottish Winter, with ice, snow and howling winds followed by warm sun and fog in the next hour.
Happily for everyone, in spite of what seemed to be almost constant snow plough attendance the site work was completed on schedule and Land-Drill were delighted to report no traffic delays at all during a very sensitive job. |
