News

Gate Expectations
BAM Nuttalls Bristol City Lock Gates Project became the centre of attention for the city this week as local news crews descended to film the arrival of the new gates.

They ended their thousand mile sea journey from Deest in the Netherlands where they were fabricated by one of BAM Nuttall’s sub contractor’s for the project Dutch specialists Ravestein.

Transported by a sea barge which had braved the English Channel, the vessel had taken refuge en route in Southampton and Torquay. After rounding Land’s End they proceeded up the Bristol Channel and were finally escorted by Bristol Channel Pilots up the river Avon (the world’s second fastest flowing river) to arrive on queue at 10.30 (to the delight of the many photographers and tightly scheduled film crews).

The sun shone brightly on an expectant crowd as the first gate was raised by the impressive Baldwins thousand tonne crane (see pics).

Our plan was to transport each gate by Crane Barge, roughly a quarter of a mile to North Junction Lock. We’ve been utilising this specially adapted barge to lift and ferry our Limpet Dam (which BAM Nuttall have also had fabricated for the required inspections) around the dock. Although the gates unaided would be too heavy for this barge buoyancy aids were strapped to the gates to lighten the load.

The crane lifts took place without incident and the following transportation across the Cumberland basin to North Junction Lock although mildly affected by a headwind, was completed with the assistance of two of the Bristol Harbour Master’s vessels acting as tugs.

Meantime the Old Lock Gates (weighing in at sixty five tonnes each) were waiting to be removed from the dock. The Baldwin’s Crane was used to perform these lifts and these were also performed successfully.

On arrival at the lock each gate was floated into it’s working home for the next hundred years and lowered onto the awaiting Pintel’s. Divers were engaged to ensure this part of the operation was successful and as you can see from the included Bristol City Lock Gates group picture it was...

Over the coming month we have the new gate hydraulic rams and the electrical operating systems to be installed. These works will certainly keep us occupied however; the visual impact of the new gates being in place brings a close to a chapter of what some may call a tale of Dickensian proportions…

Congratulations to all of the team for their efforts in ensuring that this section of the works was completed without a hitch. Well done.