Monkland Canal £400k improvement project gets underway

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Friends of Monkland Canal are celebrating a major investment which will make the Coatbridge beauty spot more accessible and open it up further to a constantly-growing number of visitors.Active travel charity Sustrans has given a grant of £429,000 for upgrades including resurfacing the two-kilometre pathway route from Blair Road to Drumpellier lawns, as well as installing a new drainage system and two towpath counters.Eight weeks of work by Scottish Canals are now underway on the pathway, which is part of National Cycle Route 75, to create “a safer and more accessible walking, wheeling and cycling route for everyone from Coatbridge and beyond to enjoy”.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Friends group co-lead Alan McCormack said: “The tarmac path is going to open up canal to so many more people, like those with wheelchairs and buggies – it will give access to more of the community and will mean it can be used every single day of the year.“The number of visitors has gone up by 100 per cent since lockdown when a lot of people who’d never been walking here before discovered it and discovered how much they loved it and how good it is for mental health, so this is fantastic news and will make a massive difference.“Monkland canal powered the industrial revolution and built Coatbridge; it’s been here since