New £1m sea gates to open at Sharpness Docks (From Gazette Series)

New £1m sea gates to open at Sharpness Docks

10:30am Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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A MASSIVE new set of sea gates will open for the first time on Friday at Sharpness Docks.

It completes a £1 million project to replace the original steel guardians that held back the might of the sea for the last 50 years.

Over the last few weeks the new gates, weighing in at 70 tonnes and reaching 11 metres high, have been carefully installed.

British Waterways project manager Will Burnish said the project was a "massive undertaking" which involved the complete closure of the docks.

"These are among the largest gates in British Waterways. In addition to providing access to Sharpness Docks and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, they also offer a solid defence against the unpredictable weather in the Severn Estuary," said Mr Burnish.

"The existing set of gates has guarded the entrance to the docks since 1958 with just minor maintenance and we are hoping for the same length of service out of these."

There is now 18,000 tonnes of cargo waiting to sail in to Sharpness on Saturday.