Forth & Clyde Canal: Lock 16 and Falkirk Flight Upgrade Programme

Works are progressing well at our site in Falkirk as we embark with Scottish Canals on the biggest programme of works on the Forth & Clyde Canal since the Millenium Link. The oak lock gates installed during the Millenium Link have an average lifespan of 25 years and as part of this scope 11 locks along the Falkirk Flight will undergo gate replacement, refurbishment and upgrade.

Works commenced earlier this summer when the canal was dewatered to create a safe working environment and a 700m long siphon. This system let us divert water to lower sections of the canal removing the requirement for pumps which offered greater control over water levels.

In November we installed the replacement gates at Lock 16, replacing the old oak lock gates with new steel ones which can exceed 40 years in the water. With the new gates in place the works around Lock 16 and are on track to come to a close for the Christmas shutdown. However, the logistics around water control further down the canal mean that the upstream stop logs will remain in place and the lock side won’t be fully reinstated and opened until the new year.

Along the east reach of the Falkirk Flight, we have also installed replacement timber gates at Lock 12, 13, 14 and 15.