Bonnington Aqueduct

Bonnington Aqueduct
Bonnington Aqueduct viewed from the level of the canal
Coordinates	55.9244°N 3.4144°W / 55.9244; -3.4144
OS grid reference	NT117710
Carries	Union Canal
Crosses	B7030 Cliftonhall Road
Locale	Bonnington
Location

The Bonnington Aqueduct is an aqueduct on the Union Canal, to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland.

History

The original aqueduct was 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter.^[1] The present aqueduct is a concrete replacement, opened in 1978 to allow the road beneath to be widened.^[2][3]

Design

The canal and the roughly parallel M8 motorway pass over the B7030 Cliftonhall Road.^[3][4] The aqueduct is only the width of a single boat, meaning that boats may have to wait to pass.^[4] Just to the east of the aqueduct, the canal broadens and there is an island with a bird shelter.^[4]

On the canal, the aqueduct is located between Bridge 15 (Ratho Bridge) and Bridge 16 (Nellfield Bridge).

The aqueduct is named after the village of Bonnington to the south, near the border with West Lothian.

References

1. Concrete and Constructional Engineering. Concrete Publications. 1928. p. 82.
2. Fleming, George (2000). The Millennium Link: The Rehabilitation of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals. Thomas Telford. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-7277-2945-3.
3. "Union Canal, Ratho Aqueduct". rcahms.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
4. "Bonnington Aqueduct" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 29 December 2014.