Milestone moment for Wey & Arun Trust volunteers

IT WAS a milestone moment for volunteers of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust at the Tickner’s Heath road crossing project at Alfold.

They had excavated a new canal channel beneath the pedestrian bridge they have been constructing over the past year.

Blocked by a causeway

The existing route of the canal here in Surrey is blocked by a causeway on the road between Dunsfold and Alfold. A new road bridge is planned to take the road over the canal a couple of hundred yards east of the original crossing point. (Image by Gill Davies.)

As the road over the new bridge will be no wider than the existing road, a separate, parallel bridge has been provided for the use of pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. In June a prefabricated steel bridge was craned into place and volunteers fitted the decking and handrails.

Visiting work parties

With the pedestrian footbridge complete, volunteers began work on the base of the new canal channel and training walls. The easing of Covid restrictions meant the trust could also welcome visiting working parties, who spent several weekends working alongside regular volunteers. The next step is to create a temporary road diversion to allow work to begin on the road crossing itself.

In November the trust submitted a planning application for Stage 2 of the project, which includes extending the canal cut along the west side of Dunsfold Road to connect to the existing canal, constructing a second bridge and enhancing the rights of way with two new paths.