Hot on the heels of the announcement of a second tranche of extra funding from the Scottish Government to pay for outstanding repairs, maintenance and improvements to Scotland's canals (see Canal Boat February 2019) comes a third grant - this time of £350,000 for an Edinburgh liftbridge. Leamington Liftbridge is a unique structure, originally counterbalanced by water tanks, built in 1906 to carry the Fountainbridge main road over the Union Canal just short of the terminus. When the final length was abandoned in 1922 it was re-sited at a little further back along the canal. In October 2018 it was closed indefinitely as "an operational risk"; however thanks to funding from the Scottish Government through Sustrans (two National Cycle Network routes cross the bridge) the mechanism is to be upgraded and the bridge reopened. Scottish Canals Chief Executive Officer Catherine Topley said "Edinburgh Quay is an important tourist destination and the canal and its assets are a vital part of what makes it attractive to visitors, residents, businesses and leisure users."
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