Re-connecting people with the River Medway: Aylesford to Allington Lock Towpath creation
Pedro Braga MEng MSc Engineer
Flood & Coast 2017 Contents
Scope
Background
Challenges
Solutions Aylesford
Allington Lock Background • Once very busy river with the transhipment of goods Aylesford • Aylesford to Allington Lock is the Allington Lock only virtually abandoned strip
• Several previous attempts from Kent County Council to reinstate the former towpath
• Currently part of The Kent County Council’s Countryside and Coastal Allington Access Improvement Plan
• Project delivered under the WEM Framework
• Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Aylesford Parish Council local Maidstone support
500m Path condition
Health and safety Accessibility Areas of concern for public safety Eventually impassable Path condition
Vegetation Width Uncontrolled and overgrown vegetation Restricted available space Retaining structures
Failure in various areas Deterioration Timber retaining structures have failed Sheet piling walls rotating Path condition
Flooding Daily tidal events flood the path Riverbank condition
Erosion Tidal River Medway has eroded the frontage Delivering together
Local ecological support
Cycle forum Providing a safe route
Finished levels above daily flood tidal level Drainage blanket to maintain floodplain connectivity Providing a safe route
12m steel - timber span bridge Flying over the main drainage pathway Providing a safe route
150m boardwalk Crossing over collapsed riverbanks Addressing river bank erosion
Willow stake bank stabilisation Current status
Construction works started in November 2016
CDM and technical support as Principal Designer
Boardwalk and bridge already installed
Embankment constructed in the majority of the route
Construction programme scheduled to finish in April 2017 Conclusions
Worked collaboratively with client and stakeholders to maximise budget
New towpath provides local residents and Maidstone Cycle Forum with safe and environmentally sensitive route that enhances riverside amenity
By summer 2017, the link between the villages of Aylesford and Allington, the River Medway and the public, will be accessible again Re-connecting people with the River Medway: Aylesford to Allington Lock Towpath creation
Flood & Coast 2017