Market Harborough Arm, new road bridge

[Joe the plumber]

As many of you will know, there's an enormous new housing estate being built opposite The Woodlands in Market Harborough. When we visited the MH Arm in August, they were working on the abutments

for a new road bridge to allow access to it from the old A6. They had earlier demolished the footbridge next to the Old Union Canal Society's basin to make way for this.

 

We visited again last Tuesday (2nd October), leaving at lunchtime on Wednesday. By pure chance, we became the last boat to pass the site of the new bridge before the first steel section was lifted across the canal. Two of the contractors were operating 'Stop' and 'Go' road signs with another two in little boats directing the canal traffic.

 

This is the scene as it was being lowered into place. And yes, that is a serious crane!

 

 

 

[Nut]

looks mighty big

[PeterCr]

We had to sit and wait till they bolted it all together. Another boat was on the other side waiting, they got through first once the canal opened again and they were quite chuffed to be the first boat ever under the bridge.

[Joe the plumber]

We passed a couple of boats heading for Harborough later on. I wanted to tell them what they were about to see, but as always, there's never time as you pass. I thought it was quite likely one of them would be the first to go under it, unless someone else had followed us a bit later out of Union Wharf.

 

It was quite a sight, one I certainly won't forget for a long time.

[PeterCr]

 

39 minutes ago, Joe the plumber said:

We passed a couple of boats heading for Harborough later on. I wanted to tell them what they were about to see, but as always, there's never time as you pass. I thought it was quite likely one of them would be the first to go under it, unless someone else had followed us a bit later out of Union Wharf.

 

It was quite a sight, one I certainly won't forget for a long time.

It may well have been us you passed!