Fort Augustus Planned Winter Works 2024/25

Works update - 31/03/2025

Our planned winter works programme on Fort Augustus lock flight is now complete, finishing a week ahead of schedule – the teams left site on Friday, 21st March.

We’re grateful to the team from our principal contractors Mackenzie Construction, their subcontractors, and to the dive team from MCS Subsea for all their efforts, particularly through the January snows, to ensure we stayed on programme.

What have we done since our last update?

The team removed the scaffolding from the top three lock chambers, in preparation for rewatering them, while the MCS Subsea dive team began installing the final seals between the bottom of the gates and the cills. These are specialised rubber seals, known as ‘P’ seals due to their shape, which ensure the gates are watertight when shut. The divers installed the seals on gates one, two and three in the wet, and to gates four and five before the lock chambers were rewatered.

The divers worked their way up the lock flight, and the site team removed the temporary safety fencing as each area was completed, including the temporary footbridge from over lock four.

We then worked with the local operations team to slowly rewater the lock flight; to do this, we closed all the lock gates on to their new cills and then used the gate sluices to slowly let water back into the chambers.

Once the flight was rewatered, we floated the divers’ work platform up to the car park beside the top gates and used the crane to lift it out, before dismantling it and removing the sections. We also removed the old Scott II jetty, the life-expired timber jetty above the lock flight.

With the lock flight rewatered, our senior project manager then worked with the Mackenzie Construction team to assess the historic leak at gate three. Leaked water showed on Canalside Road North, however the gate ram pit was dry, so we now suspect that the leak is coming from the lock ladder recess. Rather than dig trenching behind the ram pit, we now plan to investigate further by carrying out a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey. 

The team also carried out landscaping works along the lock flight, removing the temporary access paths and the hardstanding areas that we created for crane pads. We then reinstated the topsoil that we lifted from these areas and reseeded them with grass seed.

In addition, we also carried out some hard landscaping works, with a £25,000 investment around locks one and two, which are the most intensively used areas on the lock flight. Here, many of the existing paving slabs had sunk or broken. So, we lifted and re-laid paving slabs and replaced broken slabs on both the north and south sides of the canal, to minimise trip hazards and to ensure the lock side remains an attractive focal point.

Finally, Mackenzie Construction took down their site compound in the car park at the top of the lock flight and reinstated the motor home area. This ended our works programme, which completed on Friday 21st March.

Local access

All local access has been reinstated.

BEAR Scotland had closed Canalside Road South in order to carry out essential works on Fort Augustus road bridge. This road closure was lifted on the 17th March, 10 days earlier than BEAR Scotland had anticipated.

Winter works updates

We have been committed to keeping all local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders informed of the winter works programme, sharing email and online updates. You can scroll down this page to look back over previous updates.

Update 17/03/2025 - Canalside Road South now open to vehicle traffic

BEAR Scotland had closed Canalside Road South between the canal bridge (the A82) and Station Road for the duration of their essential works at Fort Augustus road bridge. These works are now complete, and BEAR Scotland reopened the road this morning.

Please be aware that we will still have some additional vehicles alongside the lock flight as we carry out the final stages of our winter works programme. 

Works update - 28/02/2025

Our planned winter works programme remains on schedule as we come to the end of our second month on site. 

Our principal contractors, Mackenzie Construction, and their teams have been working on a rota of 13 days on and one day off since the start of January, and we very much appreciate their efforts to keep the project running to time.

What have we been doing?

We finished breaking out the old cills – these were concrete, with right-angled steel plates against which the lock gates closed. The good pieces of steel plate will be repurposed by the Caledonian Canal maintenance team.

The new steel cill plates were delivered to site earlier in the month. Over the last week we poured the concrete to install them, first at gates four and five, and then at gates one, two and three.

We also removed the temporary dam at gate three; this dam was formed by three steel sections. The dam was needed here as this is how far Loch Ness reaches – the loch’s water level is the same as the settled water level in lock three.

What are we doing now?

We are now preparing to rewater the top three locks, and the team is removing the scaffolding from inside the lock chambers.

What will we be doing next?

Once the concrete has set at the new cills, we will slowly rewater the lock flight – we expect this to be early next week. To do this, we’ll turn off our water management pumps, close all the lock gates on to their new cills, and then use the gate sluices to slowly let water back into the chambers.

Once the locks are rewatered, our dive team will install the final seals between the bottom of the gates and the cill. These are specialised rubber seals, known as ‘P’ seals due to their shape, which will ensure the gates are watertight when shut.

Please note that the safety fencing around the flight will remain in place until rewatering is complete. We’ll then gradually remove the fencing as we finish working in each area, working our way up the lock flight. Vehicles will use both the south side and north side roads when collecting fencing; we expect this to be over the next two weeks.

Once we reach lock four, we will also remove the temporary footbridge. This will require the use of the crane, which will need to work from the road for the day. Following this, the crane will return to the car park beside the top gates to lift out the pontoon floating work platform from which the dive team have been working.

Once the main programme of works are complete, we’ll then begin investigations into the historic water leak at gate three. We will set up fencing to create a small, safe working area, and expect to use a mini-excavator to dig trenching behind the chamber wall and at the ram pit – this is the box-like structure which sits under the ground, housing the hydraulic ram gate actuator.

We’ll also remove the old Scott II jetty, the life-expired timber jetty above the lock flight.

Lastly, the site compound in the car park at the top of the lock flight will be taken down.

Local access

Canalside Road South will remain closed until 27th March, under BEAR Scotland’s road closure for essential works at Fort Augustus road bridge.

The Mackenzie Construction site team will continue to facilitate local access as required, via Station Road. Please speak directly to a member of the site team if you need to arrange vehicle access or alternatively email FAWinterWorks@scottishcanals.co.uk. 

There is still pedestrian access to the canalside businesses and properties on Canalside Road South, either via the footpath from the A82 road bridge, by walking round via Station Road, or by walking up the north side of the canal and crossing the locks via the temporary footbridge installed over lock four, near the top of the flight. Diversion signage is in place. 

Please be aware that plant and work vehicles will continue to sometimes be on the road for short periods, although the team will use the laybys as far as possible. Our own delivery vehicles may also block the road temporarily as they offload materials.

Works update - 30/01/2025

Our planned winter works programme is on schedule, and we are now in our fourth week on site.

The £1.65m investment, part of Scottish Canals’ Asset Management Strategy, involves upgrading the lock gate cills on gates one to five. The cills are the raised sections on the lock chamber floor that seal the gates shut.

What have we been doing?

Our principal contractors, Mackenzie Construction, set up a site compound at the top of the lock flight before Christmas, ready to begin work on the 6th January. They have made good progress to date, despite the recent storms, sub-zero temperatures, and snowfall – we’re grateful to the team for all their efforts to keep the programme on schedule.

The works on gates one and two (the gates at the bottom of the lock flight) will be carried out without dewatering the lock chambers. Diving contractors have now cut and broken out the existing cill at gate one and are now working on the removal of the cill at gate two.

The crane beside lock one (closest to the road bridge) has now moved off the road, and on to the canalside crane pad. It will remain off the road until our site takedown in March.

The works on gates three to five will be in the dry, and the team have set up temporary dams at gates three and six. The fish within these lock chambers have been safely caught and relocated to the canal above the lock flight – the specialist team from Ness Fisheries found over 340 different fish just in the three lock chambers, comprising eels, lamprey, perch, and brown trout.

In order to keep the chamber dry, the team have installed a water management system. Pumps are powered by ‘silent running’ generators to ensure noise is kept to a minimum, in particular overnight. (This may have been less noticeable last week, when BEAR Scotland carried out their overnight works on the road bridge.) 

What are we doing now?

The divers are continuing to work on breaking out the existing cill at gate two.

At gates three and four, Mackenzies are installing temporary edge protection, and installing scaffolding being into the chamber. The crane used for gates three and four will be beside the canal, not on the road.

Please be aware that plant including excavators and dumper trucks will sometimes be on the road for short periods, although the team will use the laybys as far as possible. Our own delivery vehicles may also block the road temporarily as they offload materials.

What will we be doing next?

The dive team will be working at gate one to drill and install reinforcement for the new design of cill, and at gate two to cut out and remove the existing concrete cill.

At gates three and four we will be cutting and removing the existing concrete cills, then drilling and installing the reinforcement for the new cills, working first at gate three.

The work to drill into and cut out the existing concrete will be particularly noisy due to the dewatered lock chamber; while our site hours are 7am to 7pm, the team will - as far as possible - carry out these noisier works between 8am and 6:30pm, in consideration for local residents.

Local access

BEAR Scotland have closed Canalside Road South between the canal bridge (the A82) and Station Road in order to carry out works at Fort Augustus road bridge. So as to minimise local disruption, we have timed our essential works to coincide with this closure.

Canalside Road South will remain closed for the duration of BEAR Scotland’s works and until the end of our planned works. We understand that some local access is required, and the Mackenzie Construction site team will facilitate this; access will be via Station Road. Please speak directly to a member of the site team if you need to arrange vehicle access or alternatively email FAWinterWorks@scottishcanals.co.uk. 

There is still pedestrian access to the canalside businesses and properties on Canalside Road South, either via the footpath from the A82 road bridge, by walking round via Station Road, or by walking up the north side of the canal and crossing the locks.

There is now temporary safety fencing in place around the work areas, closing the lock gate walkways – as shown in yellow on the map below. Pedestrian access over the lock flight is now via a temporary footbridge, installed over lock four, near the top of the flight, shown below in red. There is diversion signage in place. 

Keep up to date

We are committed to keeping all local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders informed of the winter works programme, and will do so via email and online updates.

We will continue to share updates about the works on this webpage, and we will share notice of road and towpath closures on our Ongoing Works webpage. We will also share any important updates on the Caledonian Canal Facebook page.

If you would like to receive email updates on the works’ progress, please let us know by emailing FAWinterWorks@scottishcanals.co.uk. Your details will not be held for any other purpose and will not be passed on to any third parties.

If you have any concerns during this programme of works, you can contact Douglas Gordon, Middle District Operations Supervisor (Scottish Canals), on 07711 796 308 (09:00 – 17:00, Mon – Fri) or you can email FAWinterWorks@scottishcanals.co.uk. Alternatively, you can contact Mackenzie Construction on 0141 633 5555 (08:00 – 17:00, Mon - Fri). Should you need to contact the team urgently outwith these hours, please call Scottish Canals’ emergency number, 0800 072 9900.

Update 14/01/2024 - Notice of pedestrian diversion

Our site team will shortly be closing access to the lock gate walkways, and are currently installing a temporary pedestrian bridge between lock gates four and five, near the top of the lock flight, as alternative access over the canal. 

You can see the towpath diversion route on the map below.

Although Canal Side Road south is closed to vehicle access due to the BEAR Scotland bridge works, there is still pedestrian access to the canalside businesses via the footpath from the road bridge, by walking up the north side and crossing the canal, or by walking round via Station Road.

Update 20/12/2024 - Notice of Canalside Road South road closure

As previously noted, our winter works are timed to run alongside the planned BEAR Scotland works at Fort Augustus road bridge.

BEAR Scotland will be closing Canalside Road South between the canal bridge (the A82) and Station Road from 7am on Monday 6th January 2025. The road will remain closed for the duration of their works and until the end of our planned works.

We will facilitate required local access, which will be via Station Road. Our principal contractor Mackenzie Construction will co-ordinate traffic management.

03/12/2024 - Notification of planned winter works

The planned work will involve upgrading the lock gate cills; these are the raised sections on the floor of the lock chamber, against which the lock gates seal shut. A new, improved, design of steel cill is now available, and we will be installing these at lock gates one to five on the Fort Augustus flight. 

These new cills will improve the efficiency of the lock gates; this in turn will help to prolong the life expectancy of the gates, improve water management requirements, and help us to provide a better experience for those visiting and transiting the lock flight.

The works programme is currently being finalised, but we expect Mackenzie Construction, our principal contractor, to begin setting up their site compound for the works from Monday 16th December. The compound will be on our existing motorhome parking, at the top of the lock flight. We then expect work to begin on the lock flight on Monday 6th January 2025 and to finish in readiness for the reopening of the canal in the spring of 2025.

The works are planned to run during the current canal winter closure and alongside the planned BEAR Scotland Fort Augustus road bridge essential engineering works to minimise the impact locally. Site hours will be from 7am to 7pm daily; we will advise in advance via this webpage, our ongoing works webpage and our social media, should any activity require the team to be onsite outwith these hours.

We recognise that there will be some unavoidable disruption, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. In order to keep this disruption to a minimum, the team will be working over weekends, ensuring the programme is completed as quickly as is safely possible.  Some of the works in dewatered lock chambers will be particularly noisy; the team will - as far as possible - carry these works out between 8am and 6:30pm. Please be assured that we will be working with Mackenzie Construction to do all we can to minimise any impact, as far as practicable, throughout the works.

As custodians of Scotland’s canals, we have a duty of care for the continued operation of the canal, as well as for all those who work, live, or visit us here. These winter works will play a vital part in ensuring that the Caledonian Canal continues to attract thousands of visitors by land and water for many years to come.

We’d like to keep you updated

We are committed to keeping all local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders informed of the winter works programme, and will do so via email and online updates.

We will share updates about the works on this webpage, and we will share notice of road and towpath closures on our Ongoing Works webpage. We will also share any important updates on the Caledonian Canal Facebook page.

If you would like to receive email updates on the works’ progress, please let us know by emailing FAWinterWorks@scottishcanals.co.uk. Your details will not be held for any other purpose and will not be passed on to any third parties.

If you have any concerns during this programme of works, you can contact Douglas Gordon, Middle District Operations Supervisor (Scottish Canals), on 07711 796 308 (09:00 – 17:00, Mon – Fri) or you can email FAWinterWorks@scottishcanals.co.uk. Alternatively, you can contact Mackenzie Construction on 0141 633 5555 (08:00 – 17:00, Mon - Fri). Should you need to contact the team urgently outwith these hours, please call Scottish Canals’ emergency number, 0800 072 9900.