Edinburgh (TAN): Tourism is feared to take a hit as the opening of the historic Caledonian Canal, which has been closed for repairs, will be delayed.
The 60-mile (about 96 km) canal, nearly 200 years old, has been closed while lock chambers were drained at Fort Augustus, and nearby Kytra and Cullochy, for repairs worth GBP 5.3million (USD 7 million approx.). The canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland.
Caledonian Canal bosses face a race against time to have the waterway reopened by Easter — sparking fears of the impact on tourism.
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It was to reopen to boat traffic within a few days, but the date has now been pushed back to April 17.
“Our team has been working seven days-a-week but some unexpected issues with the lock chambers at Kytra and Fort Augustus mean the canal won’t be open to sea-to-sea transits until Wednesday 17th April 2019,” a post on the Caledonian Canal Facebook page said.
Scottish Canals has apologised for the delay even as engineers admitted to facing challenges over the installation of new modern lock gates into the historic walls of the chambers.
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Deirdre MacKinnon, chairwoman of the local community council, was quoted by the Press and Journal as saying: “The closure is having an impact on businesses and the delay is very disappointing. We know the work has to be done, but some businesses are already affected, with one closing for a few days.”
Audrey Hogan, of Caley Cruisers, which leases out 28 boats, said: “Obviously we have lost bookings, which is disappointing. But our view is the repairs need to be carried out to ensure the locks are fit for use for the future, so we can continue to use the canal for years to come.”
“I urge Scottish Canals to complete the work on the Caledonian Canal as soon as possible as the canals are vital to the tourism industry in the Highlands,” Conservative Highland Member of the Scottish Parliament Edward Mountain was quoted as saying by the Press and Journal.
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Peter Robinson, head of engineering at Scottish Canals, said: “Due to unexpected issues encountered with the historic fabric of the lock chambers at Fort Augustus and Kytra, the Caledonian Canal will now reopen to sea-to-sea traffic on April 17. We would like to apologise for the disruption that this change in programme will undoubtedly cause our boating customers.”
