The Wey & Arun Canal Trust's new lock in Loxwood is nearing completion. This will be the first new lock built on the canal since 1816 and is a most exciting project - not only for Trust members, but also the many visitors from around the world. Pictures of the progress are shown on the Trust's website allowing a large audience to follow the progress.

The bricklaying in the lock has continued throughout the winter months and the second wall is complete. This rapid progress is a direct result of the enthusiasm of the volunteers who are working three days a week in large numbers at the lock site and the skills they are donating to the restoration of 'London's Lost Route to the Sea'.

This is the Trust's largest current project at an estimated cost of £1.2M and is not expected to receive National lottery money. Because it depends on donations the project has been spread over several years. The project is part of the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities (AINA) national strategy to link Littlehampton to Kendal in Cumbria by canal.

The B2133 Crossing project is to extend the already navigable section of canal westwards from the Onslow Arms pub, by crossing the Loxwood High Street (B2133). The 'hump-back' road bridge was removed at the end of the nineteenth century and now the highway design criteria mean that it cannot be replaced. So a 23m tunnel is to be built beneath the road. To achieve this 325m of canal is to be lowered 1.6m as far as the previous lock, Brewhurst and that lock lowered. A new lock built to the west of the road will restore the water level to the historic level for the next lock and so onwards to the summit.

Contractors sheet piled the sides and excavated the site for the new lock in early June 2005 ready for three successive canal camps booked for July 2005. These teams installed a steel mesh reinforced concrete base and made good progress in constructing the lock walls of brick and concrete, thus allowing the very expensive sheet piling to be removed at the earliest opportunity. By August the lock was very much in evidence and much of the walls and back-pumping provision, together with the cills had been largely constructed. Work continued on constructing the walls to finish the lock. In October the contractors Burras installed 156 off 400mm diameter 600mm centres by 12m long contiguous concrete steel reinforced piling to support the banks opposite the Onslow Arms, ready for lowering the pound in August 2006. In November they installed three manholes and the interconnecting pipes for the sewer diversion to be completed after the pound is lowered.

The project structures have been designed to meet AINA and IWA recommendations for new waterway construction and should allow the potential passage of broad beam craft in the future. The new lock is 4.4 m wide and will accommodate 22 m long boats. The rise is 1.58 m. Back pumping capacity is designed to permit 3/4 lockages per hour with narrow boats breasting up. The bridge being over 18 m long will be by BW definition, be a tunnel. Whatever bridge or tunnel it will be 23 m long; the channel will be 4 m wide with 2.4 m headroom. A cantilevered 1.9 m wide towpath will be a permissive right of way with 2.15 m headroom and a ramp suitable for the disabled. The fairway will be 1.5 m deep. The lock's width and that of the bridge are, however, dictated by the width already employed at Drungewick Aqueduct, which was the Trust's last major project. Brewhurst lock, when rebuilt, will have a rise of 0.6m.

The Trust's public trip boat will continue to operate from below Brewhurst Lock during the summer. These trips will start below Brewhurst lock and run on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Funding permitting, the bridge could be constructed as early as 2007. It has been agreed that the BT and Southern Water services in the pavement, will remain there, the bridge being built around them.

The Trust's Website contains a series of photographs showing the construction of the new lock as it progresses.