Major £850k project to overhaul West Midlands canals gets under way
A major £850,000 overhaul of canals in the West Midlands is set to get under way, charity bosses have announced.
The Canal & River Trust is beginning the revamp across Birmingham and the Black Country as part of a five-month winter maintenance programme.
The works, taking place until the end of February, will see craftsmen painstakingly repairing historic canal walls, locks and bridges as well as installing new lock gates at certain locks.
The programme will see the Trust invest around £850,000 on the famous network of canals in Birmingham and the Black Country.
Express & Star Comment: Big investment in canals welcome
Sections of canal will be drained, old lock gates lifted out, new gates installed and 200 year-old brickwork carefully restored.
In order to carry out the works the Trust will move fish from affected sections so that water levels can be lowered.
As part of the works new handmade lock gates are due to be installed at Camp Hill and Knowle on the Grand Union Canal, Caldwall Lock in Kidderminster and Parkhead Top Lock near Dudley.
New oak gates will also be lifted into position at locks seven and 14 on the Stourbridge Canal.
Works on the Wolverhampton Flight of the New Mainline Canal will include new lock gates being installed at lock three, historic brickwork repaired within lock four and works to the balance beams, which are used to open the gates, at locks 13 and 15.
Ian Lane, waterway manager for the Canal & River Trust, said; “The canals of Birmingham and the Black Country are world famous and it’s our job, supported by volunteers and local communities, to make sure that they’re working the way that they should.
“As a charity we’re all about caring for the canals so that they can enhance people’s lives for many years to come and these works are an important part of that.
"If we didn’t carry out this programme of careful repairs and restoration then boats couldn’t visit the area and local people wouldn’t have a safe, enjoyable place to get away from it all.
“Over the next few months our engineers and heritage experts will be braving the cold to give the canal the painstaking care and attention it deserves.”
The Canal & River Trust carries out a year-round programme of works to maintain and repair the 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in its care so they can be enjoyed by the 33,000 boats and 10 million towpath visitors each year.
Many of the biggest projects are carried out during the winter months to minimise the impact on waterway users.