Aqueduct will bring canal plan step closer
DESIGNS for an “impressive” aqueduct can be drawn up in the latest stage of a ambitious multimillion-pound canal restoration project.
The Chesterfield Canal Trust will now be inviting tenders to design the aqueduct, which will be 37 metres long and stand 10 metres above the River Doe Lea at Staveley.
The cost of the designs will be met with £91,000 funding from Chesterfield Borough Council. However, the group still needs to source the funds for the building £1 million-plus project itself.
Rod Auton, the trust’s publicity officer, said once the structure is complete it will be famous, adding: “People will come to see it. It will be really big and impressive.”
He explained that when the canal was built in the late 18th century there were just two culverts, or tunnels, built to allow the river to pass beneath.
When the waterway fell into
decline, the Environment Agency made adjustments to the area to address flooding, which the new aqueduct will bypass.
The steel structure promises to be a feat of engineering, and Mr Auton said there were challenges that needed to be addressed, such as the lack of nearby roads and the existence of overhead power lines, which will prevent the use of a crane.
“The abutments on either side have got to be really big and you have got to dig down to bedrock, which will be 40/50 feet down, to have supporting pillars for the abutments,” the retired teacher continued. He said the weight of the water once the canal is operational will also need to be considered.
The group is hoping the complete restoration of the 46-mile waterway by 2027, the 250th anniversary of its original opening in 1777.
Mr Auton said the ability to stick to this date was dependent upon funding.