Work underway to safeguard canal
Preserving heritage
Sco t t i s h Ca n a l s is undertaking engineering works in Linlithgow to safeguard the rich heritage of this stretch of the Union Canal.
As part of a Scotlandwide programme of winter maintenance, the canal custodians are carrying out embankment improvements along the 200-yearold waterway. The improvements follow the detailed embankment surveys carried out by Scottish Canals in 2017, which saw the water level of the waterway drained down over a five kilometre stretch, and around 30,000 cubic metres of water drained from the canal.
The first phase began last month, and will run for 14 weeks, with 160m of sheet piling being installed along the canal near to Linlithgow Academy, next to Preston Road. A signed towpath diversion is in place for pedestrians and cyclists during the phase one programme, which also includes Christmas and the New Year. This diversion follows Golfcourse Road, Braehead Terrace, Braehead Place, Braehead Road and Preston Road. The canal is also closed to navigation, with dam structures in place at both Bridge 45 and Bridge 48 to enable a partial dewatering of the canal. In addition to strengthening the canal embankment, these works will also create four residential and four leisure/visitor moorings. The second phase of improvements will begin on January 14, involving further sheet piling along the embankment at Manse Road East, and is anticipated to finish in the first half of April 2019. George McBurnie, project manager at Scottish Canals, said: “The waterways themselves are Scheduled Monuments and are an integral part of Scotland’s rich built heritage, as enjoyed here in historic Linlithgow. The works we’re undertaking will safeguard the canal’s engineering structures, ensuring our heritage is cared for into the next century and beyond.”