A stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal will be reopened for boats tomorrow, following around £1million of repairs to stabilise an embankment which had ‘slipped’ after it had become so saturated with rain over the wet winter period that it slumped down the hillside.
“ We are installing almost 500 massive pins, each 10-15 metres long, along the canalside at Llanfoist in the Brecon Beacons. While the remainder of the canal has stayed open since work began in February, the full length of the waterway will now be navigable by boat for the first time this year, bringing a welcome boost to businesses in the area ,” announced the Canal and River Trust.
The final pins will be put in over the coming weeks, together with a mesh to secure them in place.
Vince Moran, operations director at the Canal and River Trust , said: “ We saw unprecedented rainfall over the winter and it has required a major engineering project to repair the canal, with 500 pins effectively nailing the embankment back against the bedrock.”
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Press Release, April 24, 2014