£3.7 million investment for the Crinan Canal
The Crinan Canal is nine miles long and links Loch Fyne at Ardrishaig with the Sound of Jura and the Western Isles.
Dredging will start at Ardrishaig Harbour in January, followed by work at other locations along the canal until March.
The dredging work is part of much wider investment in the Crinan Canal this winter. In the first phase of major improvement works along the canal, lock gates 1-4 in the eastern section will be replaced.
Replacing old lock gates always presents challenges as today’s engineers discover how their previous counterparts addressed problems and create new solutions to match current technology.
Richard Millar, chief operating officer at Scottish Canals, describes this as a constantly evolving engineering approach and lessons learned during the replacement of the Fort Augustus lock flight will be applied to the Crinan gates, creating flexibility in the mitre gates and making the replacement of parts easier and more cost effective.
The sea lock at Ardrishaig was constructed in the 1930s and presents the challenges of installing stop planks to sit between fresh water on one side and the constant changing of pressure from the tides on the other.
The full length of the Crinan has been identified as a priority for the replacement of lock gates: vital to maintain the navigation. The entire programme of work is anticipated to take three years and cost between £8-12 million.
Between November 2020 and March 2021 the canal will be drained between lock 8 at Cairnbaan and lock 1, the sea lock at Ardrishaig.
During the winter, survey and design works for the gates along the western end of the canal will start, together with upgrades to Cairnbaan Bridge and modifications to Crinan Ferry Bridge and Oakfield Bridge.
There are 15 locks and seven bridges along the canal. The navigation opened in 1809, its early popularity ensured by a canal trip by Queen Victoria and her family in 1847.