News Today: New oak lock gates installed on Manchester’s gay village canal
news today workers replaced two lock gates on the Rochdale Canal that runs through Manchester’s Gay Village, draining about 110, 000 gallons of water to lift out the old gates and install bespoke oak replacements at a total cost of about £165, 000.
News Today: How the replacement was carried out
The project was carried out on 14 and 15 Feb and required an 80-tonne crane to lower the new gates into the lock. Each oak gate weighs about three tonnes and were built in a specialist workshop at a cost of about £57, 000 for the pair. Mark Wigley, 53, from the Canal and River Trust, said the old gates "weren't a pretty sight" and "needed some attention. " He said the £165, 000 bill covered cabins for the on-site team, scaffolding, a fabric dam to manage the water, security and the fuel to run the pumps.
What crews pulled from the canal
news today the team catalogued a haul of items recovered from the lockbed that illustrated changing technology and random losses: "We've found everything, from early Nokia phones to the latest iPhones, " Wigley said. He added the finds also included "knives, guns, safes and all sorts of random shoes, umbrellas and walking sticks. "
Why more gates will need work
The Rochdale Canal stretches 32 miles and has 91 locks along its route between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge. The waterway opened in 1804, closed in 1952 and was largely derelict until a restoration project that culminated in the canal fully reopening to boats in 2002, a programme that included 12 new road bridges and the refurbishment of 24 locks. Oak lock gates have a lifespan of about 25 years, and because many of the gates on the canal are reaching that age they now need replacing again; Stephen Foulds described the longevity of some gates as "incredible. "
The Trust's work in the Gay Village completes this specific gate replacement but highlights broader maintenance needs along the canal that shaped the restoration two decades ago. The organisation has itemised the immediate costs and components of the job and noted the specialist build and heavy lifting required for each replacement.
Maintenance crews carried out the two-day operation on 14 and 15 Feb; with oak gates typically lasting about 25 years, further replacements on the Rochdale Canal are expected as sections of the waterway reach the end of their service life.
