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Caldon Canal - Bridge 37 - Lock 12 - Hazelhurst Bottom Lock


rupertbear

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CRT have already been working on Lock 12, a scheduled stoppage for new gates and other work. They have had a temporary dam in place to hold back the pound whilst working on the empty lock. Yesterday Bridge 57, which is immediately below the lock, began to display evidence of severe structural faults which render it unsafe to cross or pass beneath.

The bridge is an accomodation bridge which gives pedestrian and vehicle access both to agricultural land and to a number of offside moorings on both the Top Canal (Leek Arm) and Bottom Canal (Main Line to Froghall). I am told that there were difficulties yesterday when local boaters were trying to dissuade towpath users from endangering themselves, which resulted in Police involvement.

I am not a structural engineer but, from what I can see, the bridge will need to be reconstructed rather than repaired. This will obviously take some considerable time to carry out; local opinion believes that the structure may be Listed which may add to a very lengthy stoppage.

Ignoring local access issues, the effect of this stoppage on boating will be to cut off the Caldon Main Line from Hazelhurst Junction to Froghall.

 

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2 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

Isn't it a case of "bridges all fall down sooner or later" but this one turns out to be "sooner" -- well, a mere 250 years (more or less).

Not really, not for an arch bridge carrying minimal load

 

The kind of shift seen here is more likely when a bridge is new

 

I'm trying to think of an abandoned canal bridge that has fallen down, all the ones I can think of have been taken down. Bits fall of them, but they don't often fall down

 

Overload can be a problem but it would have to be a very large load indeed, and I'd expect the arch to crack, not come away like that. The channel appears to have moved away from the off-side ramp(unless the off-side ramp has lifted for some reason, which doesn't seem likely). The arch is intact but separating from the structure 

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Looks like the offside abutment has suddenly settled about 6 inches. Perhaps the foundations had been washing out for years, and with dewatering were unable to carry the weight of the bridge.

I fear that the only solution here may be demolition and complete rebuild, as was done at Elland Bridge after the 2015 floods washed out the foundations there.

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16 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

They didnt dewater under the bridge, they tried to dewater the other side, it has been suggested that the flow around this dam caused the problem

I'm not an engineer but it does seem a coincidence that this has happened whilst works were in place for the adjacent lock repair...?‍♂️

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I expect large pumps were in use to de-water the lock. This would cause a flow through the dam where it hadn't sealed properly, notably round the sides against the washwalls and in the opposite direction to normal flow in the canal. The washwalls  could be undermined  right next to the bridge and this may be  the result. In my opinion these plastic and steel temporary dams are a poor  and expensive substitute for traditional stop planks for which provision there will almost certainly be grooves at the head and tail of the lock. I am no engineer, but have experience of de-watering lock chambers going back half a century.

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Update: I am told that CRT intend to demolish the bridge and finish the lock work by Easter. It will be a 'tight' schedule. This will reopen the through route to Froghall for boats and also the towpath.

 

Reconstruction of the bridge will take place at some later time not yet determined, but presumably not before next winter.

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Not on the website yet, but I got this email earlier:

Notice Alert

Caldon Canal
Location: Lock 12, Hazelhurst Bottom Lock, Caldon Canal
Starts At: Lock 10 Hazelhurst Top Lock
Ends At: Lock 12 Hazelhurst Bottom Lock
Up Stream Winding Hole: Junction with Leek Branch
Down Stream Winding Hole: Between Bridge 41 & 42, Cheddleton

Monday 17 February 2020 08:00 until Thursday 9 April 2020 16:00

Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Repair


 

Update on 05/03/2020:

 

The stoppage at Hazlehurst Lock on the Caldon Canal will need to be extended to the 9th April 2020. The adjacent accommodation bridge has suffered partial collapse & will need to be demolished. These works will need to be completed before the fitting of the bottom end lock gates can resume.

Further updates will be provided once the demolition programme has been finalised.

 

Original message:

 

Gate replacements, quoin and quadrant repairs, ladder works and tail bridge repairs

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/15083/lock-12-hazelhurst-bottom-lock-caldon-canal

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