A relief road designed to take traffic away from a notorious landslip area has been opened.
The route, along an old military road in Glen Croe, will be used when the A83 is shut near the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “The emergency services will welcome this development, which will help them to enhance their contingency planning arrangements.
“Hauliers and locals will also welcome the shorter diversion route, which help them realise time and fuel savings.
“Our focus through this project to identify longer-term measures to address the issue of landslips in the area has been to ensure Argyll stays open for business.”
The minister also announced £4 million for more long-term landslip mitigation work, such as netting, drainage and planting.
Meanwhile, the contract for an A82 bypass at Crianlarich, worth about £5.5m, is being advertised to the construction market.
“The new bypass, with construction expected to start this summer, will not only improve the quality of life for residents by reducing traffic volumes, noise and congestion in Crianlarich but also improve journey times for users of the route,” said Mr Brown.
Garry Milne, deputy assistant chief officer at Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, said: “The work is very welcome as it will help us to ensure firefighters and resources can quickly get to where they are most needed if the main A83 is compromised.”