The impressive lock gates at King George Dock in Hull have been given a new lease of life that should keep them in good working order for at least another century!
Following the failure of one of the gates, HBPW was asked to complete the considerable task of replacing the anchorage system to the 20th century structure’s East and West inner gates.
HBPW’s Paul Withers said: “The original restraint system was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the Hull Joint Docks Board and had served well for just over a century. However, when problems arose with one of the restraints, ABP decided that remedial work to both top gate anchorages needed carrying out as a priority.”
HBPW was commissioned to design a new gate restraint system with the brief that the system should be robust and durable with a design life of at least 100 years.
“A parallel requirement was that during the course of refurbishment the lock gates should also continue to be operational,” added Paul.
Major ocean going vessels, including the Hull to Rotterdam ferry, experienced some minor disruption towards the end of 2011, when the upper anchorage on the inner East gate failed.
However, HBPW was able to design an emergency remedial repair scheme, enabling Associated British Ports’ facility to return to full operation quickly.