88-591: The Hatherton Canal is a derelict branch of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in south Staffordshire , England . It was constructed in two phases, the first section opening in 1841 and connecting the main line to Churchbridge, from where a tramway connected to the Great Wyrley coal mines. The second section was a joint venture with the Birmingham Canal Navigations , and linked Churchbridge to
176-429: A 10-foot (3.0 m) deep cutting to cross fields. Further on, embankments have been sized so that the excavated spoil can be used, without having to remove spoil from the site. A fixed bridge will then carry an access track over the alignment, after which the canal passes under Gains Lane. This will require the road surface to be raised by about 7 feet (2.1 m) to provide navigable headroom of 8 feet (2.4 m) below
264-496: A Social Investment Business (SIB) grant of £336,000 which will enable the Trust to buy land on either side of the aqueduct and carry out the necessary work to rebuild the canal to bring the aqueduct into use. In April 2015, Midland Expressway Limited donated £50,000 to Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust to honour an undertaking they made when the M6toll was built. The donation is
352-459: A cruiseway, and the following year all of it was declared a Conservation Area. This has resulted in historical buildings and structures being retained and improved sympathetically. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal links two of southern Britain's largest river catchments: The canal was a major north–south route for the west of England, linking other canals to create a network running: The canal essentially follows river valleys, shadowing
440-401: A culvert, both of which will be altered to allow the culvert to pass under the canal without using an inverted syphon. A public footpath called Cadman's Lane will be diverted to cross the canal at the next lock. Three locks follow, called Dark Lane, Pylon and Cadman's. Pylon Lock is so named because it is located close to a large electricity pylon. At Cadman's Lock a farm track will be routed over
528-471: A dry dock. Water flows through the lock because the canal acts as a feeder for the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. The gates were replaced in 1987, but by 2024, the lock was leaking badly, both through the gates and through the brickwork. Rothen Group were employed to repair the brickwork and to replace the lockgates and paddle gear. The upper gate was replaced by a steel gate, while they manufactured
616-453: A ledge to one side, which provides dry dock facilities for the nearby boatyard. Exit from the top of the lock by boat is not possible. Beyond the lock, there is a section which could be dredged to return it to navigable condition, but the M6 motorway has been built across it. A culvert maintains the flow of water under the motorway, but is not big enough for navigation. However, the motorway embankment
704-403: A lift bridge is not an option. The channel is in water, and is almost navigable here. Cats Bridge was replaced by a culvert, after it suffered from subsidence. An accommodation bridge beyond it was demolished by the Trust, as it had cracked and sunk as a result of subsidence. It is unlikely to be replaced, since it no longer served a useful purpose. A weir on Saredon Brook supplies more water to
792-477: A month using Direct Debit or credit card , or by cheque . The tags contain a microchip which uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. Physically, the tag resembles a DART-Tag , previously used to pay the tolls on the Dartford Crossing . The two systems do not interoperate. ANPR Systems A new transformational tolling system involving Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology
880-511: A monthly administrative fee of £2.00 is charged if the user wishes to receive a postal statement. Exit/entry at some of the intermediate junctions away from the main toll booths entails a reduced toll, typically £1 less than the full fee. There was a proposal to build a new toll motorway, called the M6 Expressway running from the end of the M6 Toll to Knutsford , where much of the traffic leaves
968-678: A new publicly funded motorway were circulated in 1980. It was originally to be called the A446(M) Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR) and designed to alleviate the increasing congestion on the M6 through Birmingham and the Black Country in England, as well as improving road links to neighbouring parts of Staffordshire and North Warwickshire . This was the busiest section of the M6, carrying up to 180,000 vehicles per day when it
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#17328582718851056-469: A new set of mitred gates for the bottom end. The gates were constructed of oak, and were the first set of wooden gates that the company had produced. The result was a success, and has significantly reduced the time it takes to fill the lock when dry docking is required. The idea of restoring the canal was first developed in 1975, as a result of legislation requiring planning authorities to produce county structure plans. The West Midlands structure plan included
1144-559: A number of depots. The ANPR system was Initially launched on 8 April 2021 as a pilot project for business customers, with Maritime, one of the UK’s largest logistics operators, becoming the first vehicles to pay for their journeys on the M6toll via the new tolling system. Once the trials have been completed with Maritime and other commercial vehicle operators, the ANPR system will be rolled out to other road users. Traffic levels are not published on
1232-523: A positive balance, sufficient to cover the cost of the vehicle's toll, in order for the vehicle to be allowed through the toll gate. If the balance is sufficient, the tag will beep once and the barrier at the toll gate will automatically raise. If the balance is low (fewer than three journeys remaining), the tag will beep twice. If the balance of the account cannot cover the cost of the toll, the barrier will remain closed and an alternative method of payment must be used. Balances can be topped up automatically once
1320-437: A regular basis, but can be found in company financial reports published in press, generally around about September the following year. E.g. https://www.cityam.com/m6-toll-owner-rakes-in-the-profit-after-price-rises/ shows: -2022 46,715 -2024 48,463 The contract to build and operate the M6 Toll was won by Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) in 1991. In 2005 MEL reported an operating profit of around £16 million. Total revenue
1408-513: A replacement route for the destroyed section which would link to Grove Basin on the Cannock Extension Canal. Environmental concerns led to a second feasibility study being produced by Atkins in 2009, for a route which connected to the derelict Lord Hayes Branch on the Wyrley and Essington Canal . A short section near the junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is navigable, and
1496-463: A result of a feasibility study, carried out between 2004 and 2006 by the consulting engineers Arup at the request of British Waterways, the proposed new route for the Churchbridge bypass would have run through new locks to a new junction at Grove Basin on the Cannock Extension Canal. However, this route proved to be unacceptable for a number of reasons, including the fact that the Cannock Extension Canal
1584-538: A second act of Parliament, the Severn Navigation Act 1790 ( 30 Geo. 3 . c. 75), on 9 June 1790, authorising it to raise another £12,000 (equivalent to £1,810,000 in 2023), to improve the River Severn immediately below Stourport as far as Diglis , to improve navigation to and from the canal. At Stourport there were four basins, linked by broad locks, that allowed broad-beamed Severn trows to enter them from
1672-505: Is a designated Special Area of Conservation , because it is colonised by a rare variety of floating water plantain . A second feasibility study, completed by Atkins in 2009, has now identified a route which would join the Wyrley and Essington Canal via the former Lord Hayes Branch instead. This route would help satisfy environmental concerns, be preferable to local landowners, and reduce the number of new road bridges needed. Atkins estimated that
1760-402: Is added, plus further costs will be added if the toll is still unpaid after 14 days. An M6 Toll tag is an electronic toll collection device attached to a vehicle's windscreen, which records the vehicle's passage through toll plazas on the M6 Toll. Each tag can only be used with the registered number plate and has a unique account. All accounts on the M6 Toll are pre-paid, and must contain
1848-505: Is currently being trialed on the M6toll as part of the M6toll’s Road Ahead strategy. The ANPR cameras will identify licence plate data, removing the need for card payments at the toll plazas and replacing them with a remote payment system linked to online accounts. It will enable seamless end to end journeys and mean customers can manage all transactions via the M6toll website, whether for a single vehicle or larger fleets spread across
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#17328582718851936-534: Is high enough to allow the insertion of a navigable culvert. Just before the motorway was Dog Bridge, but this was demolished and the road it carried was realigned as part of the motorway construction. One possible solution would be to build a new lock beyond the road, to replace lock 2, and lower the level of the canal between. Beyond the motorway, Scrawpers End Bridge carries Oak Lane over the canal, but it has been lowered, leaving around 4 feet (1.2 m) of headroom. A replacement lift bridge might be required here. Next
2024-421: Is in direct competition with a free motorway running along the same route; this may account for some of the difficulties it has experienced since opening more than a decade ago." The M6 Toll has several intermediary junctions, and some were designed originally to limit access to discourage local traffic. Like modern toll roads in continental Europe, the M6 Toll still uses toll plazas , despite many other tolls in
2112-519: Is no cap on the rates charged. There was a second public inquiry from relating to the new scheme in 1994–1995 and a decision to go ahead in 1997. A legal challenge was made by the "Alliance against BNRR" which was cleared in 1998. Midland Expressway Limited contracted out the construction of the road to a consortium of major contractors Carillion , Alfred McAlpine , Balfour Beatty and Amec (together known as CAMBBA). Build phase Site clearance started in 2000, major construction work began over
2200-539: Is situated between junctions T6 and T7, and the southbound between junctions T4 and T3. The weekday contactless card cost is £9.70 for a car and £17.20 for a Heavy Goods Vehicle . The M6 Toll is part of the (unsigned in the UK) E-road E05 and is subject to the same regulations and policing as other motorways in the UK. It has one service station along its 27-mile (43 km) stretch, Norton Canes services . Proposals for
2288-413: Is the feeder from Gailey reservoirs, which has ensured that the channel has remained intact, since the water supplies the main line. Saredon Mill bridge is in good condition, after Trust volunteers rebuilt the parapets. Considerable work has been done beyond it to remove trees and reinstate the towpath, creating a useful walking route. Cross bridge has again been lowered, but carries sufficient traffic that
2376-458: The A5 road and the M6 Toll motorway. The canal leaves the main line of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Calf Heath. There is a large marina on its north side, close to the junction, after which a bridge carries a minor road over the canal, before it enters the first lock. Above the lock, a wider section provides additional mooring space before the second lock. This has been modified to include
2464-453: The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal opened its new route to Chester and Merseyside, meeting the canal at Autherley Junction. This took much of the traffic from the section to Great Haywood. Faced with a high volume of trade using the 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (800 m) stretch between Aldersley and Autherley Junctions, the company levied very high tolls. In order to resolve the situation
2552-617: The Cannock Extension Canal by a flight of 13 locks, which were opened with the Extension Canal in 1863. The coal traffic was very profitable, and the canal remained in use until 1949. It was formally abandoned in 1955, after which the Churchbridge flight and much of the Extension Canal were destroyed by open cast mining. Plans for its restoration began in 1975 and the forerunner to the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust
2640-619: The English Midlands . It is 46 miles (74 km) long, linking the River Severn at Stourport in Worcestershire with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Haywood Junction by Great Haywood . James Brindley was the chief engineer of the canal, which was part of his "Grand Cross" plan for waterways connecting the major ports at Hull (via the Trent ), Liverpool (via the Mersey ), Bristol (via
2728-712: The Midland Expressway (originally named the Birmingham Northern Relief Road or BNRR ), and stylised as M6toll , connects M6 Junction 3a at the Coleshill Interchange to M6 Junction 11A at Wolverhampton with 27 miles (43 km) of six-lane motorway. The M6 Toll is the only major toll road in Great Britain, and has two payment plazas, Great Wyrley Toll Plaza for northbound and Weeford Toll Plaza for southbound. The northbound toll plaza
Hatherton Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-593: The Severn ) and London (via the Thames ). The act of Parliament authorising the canal, the Severn and Trent Canal Act 1766 ( 6 Geo. 3 . c. 97), was passed on 14 May 1766. This created "The Company of Proprietors of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Navigation", which was empowered to raise an initial £70,000 (equivalent to £12,300,000 in 2023), , with a further £30,000 (equivalent to £5,270,000 in 2023), if needed, to fund
2904-500: The Shropshire Union Canal . Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to Hatherton Canal at Wikimedia Commons 52°40′31″N 2°05′38″W / 52.6754°N 2.0940°W / 52.6754; -2.0940 ( Lock 2 ) Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a navigable narrow canal in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in
2992-652: The Birmingham Canal Company and the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Company jointly promoted an act of Parliament to authorise a short canal that would have left the Birmingham Canal at a higher level than the junction, crossed the Staffordshire and Worcestershire by an aqueduct, and then dropped down by a series of locks to join the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal north of Autherley junction. The canal company decided to reduce its tolls rather than lose
3080-459: The Churchbridge locks were located was stripped away by open cast mining in the 1950s, and the route of the canal has been obliterated. Staffordshire County Council owns some land between the A5 road and the M6 Toll motorway, which has been identified as a suitable route for a new section of canal. From Churchbridge, the proposed new route follows the line of the A5, on County Council land, before turning to
3168-615: The Dunstall Water Bridge, a small aqueduct planned by Brindley to preserve the flow of the river, before dropping into the valley and running alongside it. Skirting Wolverhampton between the steep hillsides of Compton and Tettenhall , through the Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve, the canal reaches Wightwick . Here it bears south, cutting across a wide bend in the course of the Smestow. Descending sharply through
3256-694: The Greenwood Camp. The camp was in the path of the road in order to frustrate and delay the work. Peter Faulding, a confined space rescue specialist from Specialist Group International who removed Swampy the anti-roads protester from the A30 protest and from the Newbury Bypass tunnels, was brought in to safely remove a number of protesters tunnelled deep underground. The tunnels were very complex and on different levels in Moneymore Cottage. Operation Encompass as it
3344-465: The Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust, while the relief road became the M6 Toll motorway. In 1995, motorway development again threatened the route, when plans for the proposed widening of the M6 motorway made no provision for the canal where the two crossed. The Trust had produced several papers which had been submitted to the planning enquiry for the road. The Trust continued to negotiate with
3432-756: The M6 Toll Corridor. and in April 2005 the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported that there was strong interest in the commercial property market place around the M6 Toll "zone of influence". In May 2005 the Macquarie Infrastructure Group reported that traffic figures were "disappointing". In August 2005 the Highways Agency confirmed in its own "one year" study showing that usage had settled at around 50,000 vehicle per day (lower than
3520-491: The M6 for Manchester . It was announced on 20 July 2006 that this proposal had been abandoned due to excessive costs and anticipated construction problems. From 13 May 2024. The M6 Toll is divided into three zones. Tolls depend on the number of zones entered, determined by automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR). Tolls can be paid by credit / debit card payments or in advance via an M6 Toll tag. Cash payments are not accepted. Vehicles are classified electronically at
3608-605: The Penk, which has its source at Perton, well to the west of the canal. The canal enters north-west Wolverhampton. Here it is joined, in rapid succession, by the Shropshire Union Canal at Autherley Junction and the BCN Main Line at Aldersley Junction. South of Aldersley, the canal begins to shadow the River Smestow , part of the Severn catchment. The Smestow actually crosses the canal via
Hatherton Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-516: The Sow valley, closely following the river, to Weeping Cross, on the south east edge of Stafford , the confluence of the River Penk with the Sow. The canal then swings at right angles to the south, taking up the course of the Penk. It then runs via Acton Trussell and Penkridge to Calf Heath, where it is joined by the now-derelict Hatherton Canal . Continuing south via Coven , it begins to bear away from
3784-633: The UK switching to electronic toll collection (ETC) or being abolished. The construction of the motorway threatened the restoration of the Lichfield Canal , which cut across the motorway's route. The Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust campaigned and raised funds to build an aqueduct to carry the canal over the motorway. The aqueduct has been finished but the canal has yet to reach it, giving it an odd appearance, known to some local residents as "The Climbing Lemming Bridge". In 2014/2015 Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust received
3872-512: The West Midlands, Chris Crean, said that although the £900 million cost of the road had been borne by private companies, the money should have been spent on public transport. In 2017, the House of Commons Library produced a briefing paper on road tolls written by Louise Butcher, which included the M6 Toll. The paper suggested that "The M6 toll road has had mixed success; it is unusual in that it
3960-584: The Wyrley Brook on an aqueduct to reach the 2-acre (0.81 ha) basin. The aqueduct was uncovered during the construction of the M6 Toll motorway, and was destroyed as part of that project. Reinstatement of the canal through this section will not be possible, and so a new route to the south of the original line is proposed, which has been protected by being included in the Local Plans of South Staffordshire and Cannock Chase District Councils. The land surface where
4048-407: The Wyrley Brook, which was diverted to accommodate a sewage works. The location of the next two locks, Rosemary's and Walkmill, which were also known as Bridgtown No. 2 and Bridgtown Top, now lies beneath an industrial estate. Great Wyrley Basin was located here, as was Hawkins Basin, which was connected to the canal be a channel which was crossed by a towpath bridge and a lift bridge, before it crossed
4136-453: The agencies involved in the construction of the M6 Toll motorway, even though the cost of providing navigable culverts was likely to be between £2M and £3M, but when agreement was finally reached, the Trust raised £150,000 to pay for a culvert under the A5/A34 roundabout, and the main culvert under the motorway was funded by the government. The canal is now part of an active restoration project. As
4224-408: The backdrop to wedding photographs taken in the hotel grounds. Just beyond the bridge, another stream supplies water, but the canal bed is no longer owned by British Waterways after that point, and has been filled in. The A4601 crosses at Wedge Mills Bridge, but the original bridge and the lock were destroyed when the road was widened. Joveys Lock was quite shallow, and has been re-used as a course for
4312-434: The bridge structure. The canal then crosses Wash Brook, which will be regraded for about 66 yards (60 m), to ensure a suitably-sized culvert can be constructed. Atkins have identified this section as the most critical, because of the proximity of the road and the brook. A public footpath between Gains Lane and Cadman's Lane crosses the route, and this will be partially re-routed along the towpath. A farm track then crosses
4400-449: The canal is cut through very steep sandstone banks and passes through a tunnel at Dunsley all the way closely following the river while slicing across its many meanders. Running through Kinver , Caunsall , Cookley and Wolverley , it serves a series of wharves in the old industrial town of Kidderminster . Finally it reaches its end in a complex of wharves and basins in the canal town of Stourport-on-Severn , where it descends steeply to
4488-576: The canal's construction. The canal was completed in 1771 for a cost that exceeded the authorised capital, and opened to trade in 1772. It was a commercial success, with trade from the Staffordshire Potteries southwards to Gloucester and Bristol, and trade from the Black Country northwards to the Potteries via the junction with the Birmingham Canal at Aldersley . The company obtained
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#17328582718854576-461: The channel before it enters Meadow Lock, the structure of which is largely intact, although it suffered from subsidence before the canal closed. Trust volunteers have cleared the towpath above the lock, enabling walkers to reach a bridge located behind the Roman Way Hotel. Considerable work has been carried out on constructing an access ramp to the towpath and restoring the bridge, which often forms
4664-525: The concept of the restored canal as a linear park, and included a bypass to avoid the section destroyed by opencast mining. Further threats to the route from the proposed Birmingham Northern Relief Road led to the formation of the Ogley and Hatherton Restoration Society in 1989, after the Inland Waterways Association held a rally at Pelsall to highlight the plight of the canal. The Society later became
4752-457: The cost of rebuilding the canal, including construction of the new section to Lord Hayes Branch, would be £44.1 million. Although the route is slightly longer than that to Grove Basin, the cost was £4.6 million less, as the Grove Basin route involved a long cutting through land contaminated by spoil from Wyrley No.3 Colliery. Both of the proposed routes incorporate the new culverts under
4840-410: The cost of restoring the rest and building the new route to the Wyrley and Essington was estimated at £44.1 million in 2009. The Hatherton Canal was built in two phases by two separate canal companies, over a period of some 20 years. The first part to be constructed ran from Hatherton Junction at Calf Heath on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal to Churchbridge, and was built as a branch of
4928-401: The cost of the land purchase was shared, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal appear to have paid for the construction of the locks. They were built in 1858 and 1859, but were probably not used until 1863, when the Cannock Extension Canal was completed and opened. This section opened up a useful route along the northern edge of the Birmingham conurbation. The total length of the two branches
5016-602: The course of tributaries, to break through the watershed between the Trent and Severn north-west of Wolverhampton , at the Aldersley Gap, a minor glacial feature turned to advantage by Brindley. The northern starting point of the canal at Great Haywood, its junction with the Trent and Mersey Canal, is only about 330 yards (300 m) from the confluence of the River Sow with the Trent. The canal runs west through Tixall Wide and along
5104-414: The decision to make lorries pay a premium rate explaining that "Car drivers find lorries intimidating and they frequently hold up traffic on motorways when overtaking each other." The road was partially opened on 9 December 2003 for traffic entering from local junctions, then fully opened on 14 December 2003. On 10 January 2004, five weeks after opening, a short section of the road near Sutton Coldfield
5192-549: The decision to not increase tolls was put down to disappointing traffic levels and led to a reduction in value for the owner. In 2010 MIG was split into two, and the M6 Toll is now managed by Macquarie Atlas Roads. The road was sold to IFM Investors in June 2017. The M6 Toll lacks a proper link with the M54 , which joins the M6 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the northern end of the M6 Toll. Plans are afoot to link them eventually but for
5280-462: The enlarged shallow section and the lock emptied, leaving the boat on dry ground where it could be overhauled. Once the work was complete, the lock would be refilled, the boat moved back over the deep section, and then floated out when the lock was emptied. This section of canal was subsequently taken over by Phil Jones, owner of the Hatherton Marina boatyard, who continued to use the second lock as
5368-427: The first half mile at the western end adjoining Hatherton Junction was bought by Ernie Thomas. This included the first lock, and Thomas used the pound above the lock to stable his fleet of hire boats. In the 1960s, he modified the second lock, making it around twice as wide at the top, so that it could be used as a dry dock. A boat would enter the lock, which would then be filled. The boat would then be moved sideways into
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#17328582718855456-470: The following year. Both the canal and the tramway were financed out of income, as the canal company was very profitable at the time, paying dividends to shareholders which had exceeded 25 per cent for over thirty years. The branch was called the Hatherton Branch after the company chairman, Lord Hatherton . The branch was about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long, and rose through eight locks . The second phase
5544-628: The impressive Bratch locks, the canal rejoins the River Smestow just south of Wombourne . From here it follows the river very closely to its confluence with the Stour near Prestwood . The confluence of Smestow and Stour is paralleled closely by the junction of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire with the Stourbridge Canal , which descends through the Stour valley to Stourton . Southward from this point,
5632-540: The lock, the canal will be built on an embankment, some 16 feet (5 m) high in places. The final section includes Golfers Lock, close to the Fishley Park Golf Range, and Colliery Lock, close to some shafts associated with the defunct Fishley Colliery. It then curves to join the Lord Hayes Branch to its junction with the Wyrley and Essington. Fishley Lane bridge crosses it, and could be refurbished, while
5720-526: The locks on the route have a drop of 9.2 feet (2.8 m). After Holford Lock and Gains Lock, the route turns to the east where a farm track will cross on a lift bridge. The route then passes along the north and east edge of a spoil tip associated with the Wyrley No. 3 Colliery, and crosses over the Wash Brook, which will be culverted at this point. Following discussions with landowners, the canal will be located in
5808-429: The main canal by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company. There had been proposals for a tramway following a similar route in 1798, to link to collieries owned by a Mr. Vernon near Wyrley. Plans for the tramway were borrowed by the canal company, and formed the basis for surveys in 1826 and 1830, but the branch as built followed a somewhat different route, and was surveyed in 1837. Unusually, an act of Parliament
5896-487: The major trade was in coal from Cannock to a power station at Stourport. The power station closed in 1949, and after that, the only commercial traffic was on the stretch between Autherley and Aldersley Junctions. In 1959 the British Transport Commission planned to close the canal but it was saved by a volunteer group, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Society. In 1968 the canal was reclassified as
5984-511: The mining in the 1940s. It ceased to be used by commercial traffic in August 1950 (with a single coal boat in February 1951), and was abandoned in 1955. In the summer of 1952, a hire boat descended the canal, parts of which had been partly drained. Parts of it, including the Churchbridge flight of locks, were subsequently destroyed by opencast coal mining, and have since been re-developed. After closure,
6072-464: The predicted 74,000) but that traffic volumes on the M6 had reduced slightly. From 2008, traffic levels started to fall. Traffic in the first quarter of 2009 was 39,000 vehicles-per-day (Monday-Friday figures), but recovered to reach 54,000 in the second quarter of 2015. Daytime cash / contactless card prices for various vehicle classes since opening: There is a 5% discount for using a tag. Leasing of one tag currently costs £1.00/month. In addition,
6160-579: The river through two sets of locks. The canal is linked (in order, from the Severn) to: The canal today forms part of the Stourport Ring , which is one of the popular cruising rings for leisure boating. It is also part of the Four Counties Ring . [REDACTED] Media related to Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Wikimedia Commons M6 Toll The M6 Toll , referred to on some signs as
6248-424: The river. Goods could then be trans-shipped from the canal narrow boats to the trows for onward shipment to Bristol. Trade declined when the newer Worcester and Birmingham Canal was opened in 1815, providing a more direct route between Birmingham and Bristol. To remain competitive, the company increased the hours when locks could be used, and by 1830 they were available 24 hours a day. Another setback occurred when
6336-460: The road as an early form of public private partnership with the operator paying for the construction and recouping its costs by setting and collecting tolls, allowing for a 3-year construction period followed by 50 years of operation. At the end of this period the infrastructure would be returned to the Government. Toll rates are set at the discretion of the operator at six-monthly intervals and there
6424-406: The south near the location of the northbound tollbooths on the motorway. It then follows the valley of the Wash Brook for around 1.9 miles (3.1 km), before a 1,000-yard (900 m) section which climbs to join the infilled Lord Hayes Branch about 330 yards (300 m) from its junction with the Wyrley and Essington Canal. This final section of the Lord Hayes Branch will be refurbished. Most of
6512-477: The summer of 2002 and the road opened in December 2003. 2.5 million books, including many Mills & Boon novels, were pulped and mixed into the tarmac surface to help absorb water. In August 2003, freight operators indicated that they planned to keep their vehicles on the heavily congested M6 through Birmingham rather than send them on the new motorway due to high fees. The AA Motoring Trust said it welcomed
6600-465: The tail of the lock, and an adjacent ditch will be routed under the canal at the top end of the lock, to maintain the water levels. The canal then crosses Cadman's Lane again, which will be diverted for some distance along the towpath, mitigating the problems caused by the fact that the lane is often flooded by the Wash Brook, and becomes impassable. Wash Brook Lock will include a bridge over its tail to allow Cadman's Lane to rejoin its original route. Beyond
6688-462: The time being traffic between the two has to use either the slow and often congested A460 to M54 J1, or go from M54 J2 via the A449 and A5 to M6 J12 – an extra 4 miles/7 km. Environmental campaigners opposed the road, from its inception. While the road was being built, some advocates of direct action dug tunnels under Moneymore Cottage and two large underground bunkers in an adjacent wood named
6776-425: The toll booths according to their number of wheels, number of axles and height at first axle. Thus vehicles with trailers are charged extra and some large models of 4x4 are classified as vans. Failure to pay the toll for using the motorway is a civil offence; anyone attempting to do so will be issued with an unpaid toll notice and required to send payment. If it is not paid within two days a £10 administration charge
6864-438: The towpath is on the far side of the Wyrley and Essington, but the roving bridge which served the Lord Hayes Branch still exists. While the towpath will normally be 10 feet (3 m) wide, Atkins have suggested that it should be 13 feet (4 m) wide in some places, and suitably constructed to provide access for 5-tonne crawler cranes, which have revolutionalised the replacement of lock gates where such access has been provided on
6952-524: The trade altogether. Further concessions were obtained by the other two canal companies by threats to resurrect the plans on two subsequent occasions. Despite the competition, and later competition from the railways, the canal company paid dividends to its shareholders until nationalisation, although profits fell steadily from the 1860s. It remained independent until the Transport Act 1947 nationalised Britain's canals on 1 January 1948. In its latter years
7040-528: Was a joint venture between the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and the Birmingham Canal Navigations Company, who were at the time planning to build the Cannock Extension Canal , a branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal which would serve coal mines in the vicinity of Cannock. An agreement was reached in 1854 to construct a flight of thirteen locks between the Hatherton Branch and the Cannock Extension Canal at Churchbridge. Although
7128-465: Was around 4 miles (6.4 km). Traffic on the branch was considerable. Movements of coal down the Churchbridge flight were around 12,000 tons per month in 1902, while in 1905 the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal carried 722,000 tons, or which 225,000 tons were coal, mainly from the Cannock coalfields. Coal also contributed to the demise of the branch, as it was increasingly affected by subsidence from
7216-606: Was called by the police was run by the Under sheriff of Staffordshire Mr John James, the eviction operation ran for fourteen days enabling construction to begin. Friends of the Earth claimed that the road would not relieve much traffic from the West Midlands conurbation as most users using the M6 in that area began or ended their journeys within the conurbation and so the M6 Toll would offer no advantage to them. Their campaign co-ordinator for
7304-422: Was designed to carry only 72,000. Five alternative routes were put for consultation in 1980 and a preferred route was published in 1986. In 1989 there was a public inquiry relating to a publicly funded motorway. In 1989 it was announced that it would be built privately and a competition took place which was won by Midland Expressway Limited in 1991. The contract was for a 53-year concession to build and operate
7392-404: Was formed in 1989. Since then they have worked hard to protect and restore the canal, which was threatened by the route of the M6 Toll motorway. Negotiations eventually led to the provision of two culverts, one paid for by the Trust and the other by the road builders, which will be used in due course for the route of the re-aligned canal. In 2006, the engineers Arup produced a feasibility study for
7480-406: Was not obtained for the work, and so all land required for the project had to be bought by agreement with the landowners. Negotiations were completed by 4 April 1839, at which point the company accepted an estimate of £12,345 from Robert Frost, and construction began. This phase was completed in April 1841, and a tramway from the terminus to Great Wyrley, which was used to transport coal, was completed
7568-485: Was reduced to one lane to allow for repairs to an uneven surface. On 23 July 2004 prices for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) were reduced from £10 to £6 to encourage them to use the route "for a trial period". In December 2004, one year after opening, Friends of the Earth issued a press release expressing concern that faced with lower than expected traffic numbers, Midland Expressway were trying to attract new traffic-generating developments to greenbelt and greenfield sites in
7656-520: Was £45 million, with staff and other operating costs amounting to £11.4 million and depreciation of £17.4 million. Taking into account net interest costs of around £43 million, that leaves an overall loss of £26.5 million in 2005 – their first full financial year. As of June 2005, MEL was 100% owned by Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) of Australia, which operated several tolled roads in Australia and North America. Long term debt
7744-470: Was £819 million as of 30 June 2005. Disappointing traffic figures for 2005 led to a price rise in June, and MIG Chief Executive Steve Allen commented in the Australian newspaper The Age , "What we need is to slow down the M6". Business leaders in Staffordshire , now effectively closer to London, welcomed the opening of the road, saying that it would make it easier to do business there. In June 2006
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