Winter works programme for 2021/22
THE Canal & River Trust has published details of the major repairs and improvement jobs it plans to carry out between November 1 and March 31.
Forty-eight waterways will benefit from 168 large-scale works to repair masonry and brickwork, fix leaks, update and install hydraulics and electrics at mechanised structures, as well as replacing seals, stop plank grooves, lock ladders and lock gates.
The trust’s specialist workshops are handcrafting 123 lock leaves for the works, to be installed at 67 locks across the network.
Chief executive Richard Parry said: “While there are some familiar names on this year’s list of work locations, the majority of the winter works are the basic ongoing repairs we need to undertake every year to keep the waterways navigable and safe: replacing time-expired lock gates, repairing structures and rectifying defects.
“We’re also starting the largescale expansion of works needed to strengthen the resilience of our 200-year-old infrastructure, with climate change presenting significant new challenges to assets built when civil engineering was first being developed.”
As usual, works will be carried out in winter to minimise disruption to boaters and will be aiming to avoid the Christmas period when more boaters are likely to take to the water. Seventy-one stoppages are due to take place before Christmas, with 94 scheduled for the new year. Just three are scheduled to span the festive season.
Larger boating-related schemes include carrying out essential winter maintenance at Anderton Boat Lift, new lock gates at Bingley Five Rise locks, replacing gates and grouting lock chambers on the Wigan Flight, and repairing locks and a bridge at Stoke Bruerne. This is on top of the trust’s ongoing investment to futureproof its reservoirs, which are vital to the network’s boating demands, which will continue over the winter.
The trust is hoping to run a series of physical and virtual open days as part of the winter works programme. The full winter stoppage programme can be viewed on the Notices & Stoppages page of the Trust’s website: canalrivertrust. org.uk/notices