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Gloucester Docks &
the Sharpness Canal

 

Two Mile Bend - Filling

Following the draining and desilting of part of the old channel around Two Mile Bend, work started on filling the channel with spoil to form an embankment to carry Gloucester's South West Bypass. This page reports progress in this area, and the following links lead to pages covering other aspects of the overall project: 

Plans for 2m Cut   Excavating 2m Cut   Clearing 2m Cut   Opening 2m Cut   2m Cut Summer 06
Netheridge Bridge   Dewatering 2m Bend   Desilting 2m Bend   Historical Background
  

Starting to Fill Two Mile Bend
       Having removed most of the silt from the central area of the old channel around Two Mile Bend, contractors started filling the hole with spoil from the nearby pile. The picture, taken on 14 July from the eastern dam, shows heavy plant delivering and consolidating the spoil, while a long arm excavator in the background continued to ladle the last of the silt over the western dam. This needed to be done carefully because of an electricity cable across the bed of the old channel.

Eastern Side of the Embankment
      This photograph was taken on 28 July from the same viewpoint as the one above. It shows that the eastern part of the old channel around Two Mile Bend had been filled in and this side of the embankment for Gloucester's South West Bypass had been raised close to its intended level.

Western Side of the Embankment
     This photograph was taken on 7 August from the opposite viewpoint to the one above. It shows work well under way on filling the western part of the old channel around Two Mile Bend. This hole was filled by the end of October, and the bypass road surface was laid on top of it.

For project plans, earlier progress and historical background, see the links above.