Marina lock gates improved after hurricane

Since one of the sets of mitre lock gates sustaining damage during Hurricane Ophelia, the port has been working collaboratively with Royal Haskoning and Pressure Design – commissioning them to undertake a detailed study and to design a more modern and robust system. The upgraded operating system has shortened the lock time to five minutes and enabled the lock gates to operate 24/7 with the tide.

Melanie Durney, marina and docks manager at Milford Marina, which installed a temporary drive system after the hurricane, commented: “The damage we sustained from Storm Ophelia was unforeseen, but we have used this event to undertake further improvement works.

“We are proud to be able to offer a more flexible and extended locking programme, and improve the experience for our marina and dock customers.”

Samson Gates

In 2014, an additional set of mitre gates, known as the Samson Gates, were installed at the site. This provided quicker and more frequent site access, as well as additional support, for the existing gates. The recent work is part of a 2018 programme of maintenance.

Both sets of gates now allow pedestrians to cross during most states of the tide; the only time the crossing isn’t available is during ‘freeflow’. This is operated by a traffic light system.

By Rebecca Jeffrey