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Posted

The Slough Arm is currently closed to navigation and towpath users at bridge 2A with effect from today, 27th April. The bridge supports are suspect and engineers have been on site this afternoon. Twitter gives no indication of how long the arm is likely to be closed.

Posted

It's the footbridge just before although looking at Nicholsons there is no 2A and twitter refers to Reeds Bridge! Definitely not the M25 though!!

Posted

aylesbury arm = closed, slough arm = closed, think i'd avoid going down the wendover for a while!! cool.png

Those of us who are beyond the end of the Northampton arm are feeling distinctly nervous.

 

MP.

Posted

thats going to upset both the boats that wanted to visit Slough this year !

That's very perceptive of you, we take Nuneaton all the way to the end in October and have done for the last few years.

I wonder what the other boat will be.

Apart from the rubbish and some weed its not that bad. Its only really shallow in one spot and thats about three quarters of the way to the Slough end.

Posted

angry.png Stuck up the Slough end, how many times can you visit Slough before you lose the will to live. Just when the Slough Arm is fairly clear of weed, maybe it was the weed holding it together. help.gif

Posted (edited)

angry.png Stuck up the Slough end, how many times can you visit Slough before you lose the will to live.

About once really. If that trip involves a visit to the Observatory shopping centre and see the Betjeman poem mangled with the immortal line "Brand new Tesco open now".

 

Pass me the Napalm.

 

 

Edited to add: I have it on good authority that in the past, pupils of Eton were instructed to not enter Slough wearing their uniform on pain of having the crap kicked out of them by the local comprehensive yoof.

Edited by eightpot
Posted (edited)

About once really. If that trip involves a visit to the Observatory shopping centre and see the Betjeman poem mangled with the immortal line "Brand new Tesco open now".

 

Pass me the Napalm.

 

 

Edited to add: I have it on good authority that in the past, pupils of Eton were instructed to not enter Slough wearing their uniform on pain of having the crap kicked out of them by the local comprehensive yoof.

 

As a one-time resident (on a boat) of Eton this seems highly credible. They look stoopid enough in their penguin suits in Eton High Street let alone in Slough. Even I look like a posh bouy in Slough!

 

MtB

 

 

(Edited to korrekt my spelling of 'bouy'.)

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
Posted

 

The closure hasn't even made it to the stoppages section of Waterscape. I'm one of the 10 boats hoping to let to Cavalcade at the weekend, arrived at the boat Saturday evening with plans to move her yesterday... all put on hold. Cycled down to the stoppage last night and towpath barriered off and a large 'barge' across the cut. It seems electric persons were sorting that out yesterday as well. A friendly fisherperson offered to help me and the bike past the large barrier 'plenty of room he said' I declined.

There are tentative plans to hold a 'mini Slough' festival on Saturday should the cut not be open by then, cruise to the basin and back (its about a hour) with a mini boat handling competition. Not quite the same as Cavalcade though...

I would think that engineers could assess the safety of letting boats though under supervision for 1 day so those who want to get out can, temporary moorings at Packet Boat might be possible till all is sorted.

This follows the cancelled dredging due to slippage of a industrial estate into the Slough Arm (major monies). I guess one of the problems of a 200 year old facility that hasn't had too much preventative maintenance for a good while and very wet and dry seasons.

Posted

Don't suppose anyone's heard anything (authoritative or rumours) about how long this one's going to be? It's on Waterscape as UFN... terribly helpful.

 

Anyone any piccies they can post?

Posted

This was produced by the Friends of the Slough Canal http://www.flickr.com/photos/roggie/8700169002/ I'm not holding out any hope of making it to Cavalcade this year - £30+ and all those lights for illuminated boat parade wasted. Still will head out that way Friday night to see if any boaters are organising something for Saturday. Hope CRT stabilises the bridge so we can get to Rickie.

Posted

This was produced by the Friends of the Slough Canal http://www.flickr.com/photos/roggie/8700169002/ I'm not holding out any hope of making it to Cavalcade this year - £30+ and all those lights for illuminated boat parade wasted. Still will head out that way Friday night to see if any boaters are organising something for Saturday. Hope CRT stabilises the bridge so we can get to Rickie.

Speak to Adrian on Serendipity, He is drumming up interest

Posted

Just seen this statement from CRT and posted on the Friends of Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/groups/191327457654862/

 

2 May 2013

SLOUGH ARM – REEDS BRIDGE

Work to repair a bridge on the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal has started, with the aim of
opening the canal and towpath as soon as possible.

Last week, one of the brick-built sections that support Reeds Bridge moved and cracked, resulting
in this entire abutment, the towpath and the waterway wall sinking by 1m and sliding into the canal.
As a result, the Slough Arm and towpath at Reeds Bridge is currently closed while the Canal &
River Trust carries out emergency works. The charity hopes to complete the emergency works by
14 June 2013.

Jon Guest, London waterway manager for Canal & River Trust, said: “We are on site working to
repair damage to Reeds Bridge and the towpath next to it. We appreciate that the closure is
causing disruption and we’re talking to the boaters on the Slough Arm about alternative
arrangements for their boats. Thankfully, considering the age of our canals, problems like this are
extremely rare. Fixing it won’t be cheap and as a charity we don’t have an endless pot of money,
but we are working hard to get the canal and towpath open to the public as soon as possible. ”

To donate and help support the work of the Canal & River Trust please visit
www.canalrivertrust.org.uk for more information on how you can get involved.

The emergency works are already underway and include: the diversion of electricity and
communications cables (including an 11,000V high voltage electric cable); temporarily filling the
canal with stone to prevent further movement and provide a safe platform for workers; the removal
of the main body of the bridge; demolition of the towpath side abutment; removal of the waterway
wall and towpath; and finally building a temporary towpath and reopening the navigation. Once
these initial emergency works have been carried out, the Trust will investigate a permanent
solution for the replacement of the bridge.

I eventually tweeted CRT today asking for some indication as to what was happening, 7 minutes later I received a response saying they couldn't open the canal. No surprise but at least I know we can't go to Cavalcade. Bit silly not telling people as I am sure the 10 boats booked in would have liked to know. IWA have said that we can transfer bookings to the 2014 festival and will contact all effected boaters. Looks like Rickie is out as well unless CRT find a crane and somewhere to put us back into the system - High Line is one of the few places around there that you can use a crane (so i am told).

 

I hope this isn't our summer now wink.png I should be there on Saturday if anyone want to cruise down to the basin and pretend its Paddington - without all the glass and stainless steel - cheaper on diesel though.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Don't suppose anyone's heard any more or noticed whether/what work is going on? We're beginning to get nervous about whether we'll be able to get out for our summer cruise.

Posted

 

Just seen this statement from CRT and posted on the Friends of Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/groups/191327457654862/

 

2 May 2013

 

SLOUGH ARM – REEDS BRIDGE

 

The emergency works are already underway and include: the diversion of electricity and

communications cables (including an 11,000V high voltage electric cable);

temporarily filling the

canal with stone to prevent further movement and provide a safe platform for workers

; the removal

of the main body of the bridge; demolition of the towpath side abutment; removal of the waterway

wall and towpath; and finally building a temporary towpath and reopening the navigation. Once

these initial emergency works have been carried out, the Trust will investigate a permanent

solution for the replacement of the bridge.

This could just be a ploy to do permanently what was threatened for the Slough Arm in the past!

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