Tuesday, 21 June 2011

The Lock, the Dock and the Swing Bridge

As well as having a propensity to fail at inconvenient moments, the sea-lock at Glasson Dock is notable for one other thing: it's one of only a very few canal locks that are spanned by a bridge.
The bridge is fairly substantial: the road it carries is a bus route and road traffic is controlled by traffic lights. (Those are the bottom gates of the lock by the way).
There's another of these bridge/lock combinations on the soon to be re-opened Droitwich Junction Canal, where it joins the River Salwarp, although this is only a footbridge.
There's a third, much grander affair on the New Junction Canal at Sykehouse lock, where the bridge and lock mechanisms are controlled by the same automated  programme and where I once set the very lengthy operating procedure irrevocably in motion seconds before a vehicle appeared wishing to cross.


Can anyone think of any other examples?

3 comments:

Naughty-Cal said...

Bardney Lock. Its only a farm track though

Tony - nb Wild Jasmine, Newbury. said...

There's another, Hungerford Marsh lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal has a bridge wide enough for tractor access over it.

Halfie said...

There's a swingbridge over the lock at Fenny Stratford, if I remember correctly, and one over Stanstead Lock on the Lee Navigation.