Canal to be re-opened mid October

WORK on both the canal and towpath of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal will start in mid-October.

It was way back in the 1970s the Albert Street Cutting on the waterway had to be closed as the timber props installed became rotten. Janet Friend reports.

Now safe

But the wall that they were supporting was found to be safe so timber has been removed with only wooden boards left, which are connected to a brick wall by the waterway, so work to reopen the canal and towpath is to start.

Canal & River Trust held 'a public engagement event' today, 1st October so local people can discover more about the repairs that are taking place.

The trust is to install remote monitoring equipment to measure for any movement on the walls of the cutting and drill 'weep holes' into the walls to allow any build-up water behind the wall to escape.

Work will take six weeks

Work is due to begin in mid-October and is estimated it will take six weeks.

Ben Carroll, Project Manager at Canal & River Trust, explained:

“As well as reopening the towpath and canal, these works will make this stretch a safer and more pleasant place to spend time."

The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal stretches over 14 miles  between Bridgwater and Taunton, and earlier this year celebrated the 30th anniversary of its reopening.