Grand Union Canal’s £500k towpath upgrade under way
A £ 500,000 towpath improvement project by the Canal & River Trust in partnership with walking and cycling charity Sustrans has started along the Grand Union Canal in Leighton Buzzard.
The works are being carried out by the trust’s engineering contractor Kier and are due to be completed by August 23.
They will improve, resurface and widen a 780m section of towpath running south from the B4032 Leighton Road Bridge 114 to Bridge 115A (Mentmore Gardens). The towpath will be closed and towpath notices will display a diversion route via Mentmore Gardens, Mentmore Road and Wing Road. The towpath will temporarily reopen on Saturday, July 30, to allow access to the Linslade Canal Festival at Tiddenfoot Waterside Park. CRT London & South East regional director Ros Daniels said: “Trust ecologists and heritage advisers are involved in the design of the works to ensure the works are sensitive to local wildlife and heritage structures, making enhancements where possible, including hedge laying, vegetation and tree management.
“We welcome the support of local people to help deliver some of the wildlife or heritage improvements with other volunteers, or to help look after the new towpath environment once it is complete.”
The project will also improve a 2.1km section running north from Lock 27 (Leighton Lock) to Bridge 110 (Sandhole Bridge) in Old Linslade. Here there will be surfacing improvements, vegetation trimming and biodiversity enhancements. The works in this section do not require the towpath to be closed.
The towpath in Leighton Buzzard forms part of the Sustrans National Cycle Network ‘ Paths for Everyone’, which aims to deliver a traffic-free, more consistent and accessible network for everyone, including walkers, cyclists, families and people with mobility requirements.
Building on previous work in 2015 between Leighton Road and Leighton Lock, it will add a further 2.9km of improved towpath, resulting in a 4.1km stretch of continuous high quality towpath through Leighton Buz z a rd and surrounding areas.
The towpath improvement project planned for Leighton Buzzard is one of a series of Department for Transport ( DfT) Active Travel funded towpath improvement projects being delivered by the Canal & River Trust across England and Wales, helping the nation’s waterways to provide high quality off- road routes for walking and cycling, and an important ‘natural health service’ across the country.
To find out more about the proposed improvements and volunteering opportunities, go to https://canalrivertrust. o r g . u k / l e i g ht o n - buzzard, call the Canal & River Trust on 03030 404040 or email enquiries. londonsoutheast@ canalrivertrust.org.uk