Canal work finished ‘five months ahead of schedule’

Volunteers are toasting another milestone in their bid to connect the Montgomery Canal with the rest of the canal network following a momentous team effort on the English border at the weekend.

A work party cracked on to complete all channel and towpath deliverables for the original scope of the Rural Prosperity Fund (RPF) grant – five months ahead of schedule!

“Given the torrential rain and flooding during October it was a pleasant relief to have dry, calm, mild weather for the entire work party,” said Tom Fulda, project manager at SUCS. “Once again, substantial progress was made.”

There were the three main activities for the work party:

·      To complete the towpath and bank works in Phase 1A (wharf area) which in turn would complete the original scope for the RPF project.

·      Continue channel profiling in Phase 1B beyond the area already completed. This extends the original scope.

·      Hedge laying to kick off the winter environmental works.

In addition, four volunteers took a refresher brush cutter qualification on Friday which is essential to deliver all the scheduled environmental activities.

Here’s how they got on:

On Friday morning, there remained 65 metres of towpath to construct in 1A. Coupled with this were 60 metres of bank to complete with riprap (large aggregate) covered by soil above the blocked area.

And finally, the entire length of towpath in 1A (which runs opposite the tramway wharf area) needed to be dressed with a wear course of quarry dust.

By Sunday lunchtime, the job was done which marked a major milestone: completion of all the channel and towpath deliverables in the original funded scope scheduled to finish by the end of March next year.

Practical completion for this funded scope is for the two completed sections of channel to be in water by the end of March.

They are filling of their own accord with rainwater, and it is expected that the stop planks by Crickheath Bridge will be cracked open in January or February to equalise the levels with those in the now navigable Crickheath Basin.

Further along the site towards Schoolhouse Bridge, work continued to profile the channel. In the area worked, no lining and blocking is required, and an impressive 70 metres is now complete.

Just beyond this area in the direction of Schoolhouse Bridge, hedge laying picked up from where work had finished last winter.

Over two days and with a number of ‘new hands’, 23 metres were completed.

PICTURE: Courtesy of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust