River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 1st week of October 2017.

I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

These images show the reclamation works now happening to restore the western end of The People's Park, adjacent to River Lane, which was once the major works compound and a site that proved of great inconvenience to the local residents for the best part of 6 years.

 

The works units are being shipped out, the machinery moved to other projects, the ground surface is being relaid, and a hoggin path is to be completed around the perimeter of the park.

  

Multi-village schemes that was built by UNICEF, in collaboration with the regional water bureau and water offices, Afdera town in Afar Region. Serving 9000 people with safe drinking water.UNICEFEthiopi/2020/NahomTesfaye

Basic scheme of our installation.

Early morning in Shibuya, the animal girls group together and plot their mischief for the day. Shot this right before the one in pink started howling at me to stop taking photos. Sassy hamsters!

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the second full week of August 2014. Work is now on-going in this area of the The Slang/Dargle River, involving: -- Site preparation and mobilisation comprising sheetpile flood defence walls.

 

Meanwhile, work proceeded on core-sample drilling to determine the integrity of the adjacent riverside and riverbank. These UK contractors have been moving this Comacchio 405 crawler tracked rig about the local area, I think the term is 'rotary coring'. Flushing mediums include mud/water recirculation via an on-board mud pump, or air flush via an auxiliary compressor.

Windowless sampling barrels contain plastic liners to retain soil samples.

Liners are removed from sample barrels after drilling.

The use of a plastic liner allows for excellent presentation of high quality samples. The drilling process renders the immediate area into a sea of liquified mud.

 

Regardless of the weather, waterproof clothing is 'de rigueur'.

Easy access to clean water is a bonus.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the last full week of October, 2016.

As seems to be the norm, all construction work has ceased by mid-Friday at the start of a Bank Holiday weekend.

 

Still a high level of activity along this stretch of the riverbank, and especially around the Irish Rail bridge.

 

Throughout the summer, this is where the heavy-duty engineering works have been taking place.

This is a section of the flood protection scheme that I have pretty much ignored -- it's inconvenient for me to access, and others cover it much better.

Check out 'Turgidson'.

 

The construction activity is routed along the Ravenswell Road, temporarily closed due to on-going works.

That is the site of the old Bray Golf Club -- hotly contested as a (potentially) poorly considered as a site for a shopping centre development complex, and still an area of ground that has to act as a flood plain in the event of tidal surges.

 

As well as raising a heightened flood protection wall, they've created an access ramp down to the riverside. Further temporary soil shelves have been laid to allow construction machines to work alongside the riverbed. That access is critical to pursue work on the nearby Irish Rail bridge.

 

The area in the background, site of the old Bray Golf course, is both a works compound and vehicle route for the transportation of material to/from the other sectors along the River Dargle involved in construction works.

 

The Irish Rail Bridge, Bray Harbour:

Phase 1 flood defence works to the Irish Rail bridge commenced in August 2016.

Phase 2 flood defence works will be completed during May to September 2017. This work is being undertaken directly by Irish Rail.

 

The work includes strengthening the integrity of the bridge by creating buttresses around the base of each pillar.

 

To do this they have to pile-drive sheets into the river bedrock.

The work is complicated by;

(a) the need not to damage or disturb in any way the actual bridge itself (Irish Rail train and DART carriages pass overhead on an hourly basis), (b) the confined spaces under the bridge, and (c) the twice-daily rising tides from Bray Harbour which spill upriver into the newly expanded basin.

 

The only activity here was a DATUM technician engaged in (I suggest) checking the systems used to monitor all/any changes to levels in and around the bridge superstructure.

In their own words . . . . .

'DATUM Geotechnical and Structural Monitoring.

DATUM specialise in remote monitoring of earthworks, structures and transport infrastructure, offering a comprehensive range of geotechnical and structural expertise, across the UK and Ireland.

 

We are industry leaders in geotechnical and structural monitoring for the railway industry. We also provide advanced vibration and noise monitoring for quarrying, mining and demolition and have numerous active projects throughout the civil engineering, maintenance and service industries.'

 

At low tide in the Bray Harbour, we can see that the outflow of the Dargle River is channeled through a single central recess under the Irish Rail bridge.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 1st week of October 2017.

I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

These images show the reclamation works now happening to restore the western end of The People's Park, adjacent to River Lane, which was once the major works compound and a site that proved of great inconvenience to the local residents for the best part of 6 years.

 

The works units are being shipped out, the machinery moved to other projects, the ground surface is being relaid, and a hoggin path is to be completed around the perimeter of the park.

  

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken on the last full weekend of October 2014.

 

Throughout the days, it's a constant 2-way stream of Volvo trucks -- some bringing varying grades of hardcore down to the riverside to build up the rear of the steel wall - or removing previously laid temporary access shelf on the outside of the steel wall.

 

The guys are now actively rebuilding the riverbed itself: digging out the previous 'temporary' core material, and replacing with large, profiled boulders.

The intention being to (a) provide better habitat for fish stock, and (b) seek to slow the speed of river flow during periods of heavy rain and high river levels.

 

A neat job is being completed to landscape the ground in front of the apartments -- backfilling with stone and soil.

A protective guide-rail is being welded, in stages, to the top of the protruding steel wall, prior to capping with cement.

 

Meanwhile, further upsteam towards Silverbridge, we spot a heron - one of Natures great river hunters - perched in classic position in a high tree line, with a clear line-of-sight to anything attempting to swim, or fly, anywhere near his territorial strip of the river.

Similar color scheme to the Fast X Mid GTX Boot I got a couple months ago. Fit is perfect.

This is a model for the Lego Ideas Scheme found here ideas.lego.com/dashboard Please vote for it if you want to see it put into production

Yes, it's finally done!

 

blogged!

Reading Buses has been repainting some of its former route 17 purple ADL Enviro400H into a new two-tone purple colour scheme for routes 23 and 24, which are to be rebranded "berry routes" although this has not taken place yet. They have replaced the pink Scania Omnicities 1102-1106, some of which have been sold to Midland Classic of Burton-on-Trent although 1105 has been repainted into Kennections livery and reallocated to Newbury.

 

Refurbished 221 is seen at County Boundary, Henley Road on Thursday 21st June whilst operating the clockwise circular route 24 (route 23 operates in the opposite direction; the routes have been operated as circulars since February). Although the "Welcome to Reading" sign can be seen ahead of the bus, the actual boundary between the Borough of Reading and the County of Oxfordshire crosses Henley Road further back from here, just before the junction with Caversham Park Road, then runs along the south side of Henley Road for a short distance, so that the 23/24 operate entirely within the Borough of Reading. The boundary in this area was redrawn in 1977 so that the whole of the then newly-built Caversham Park Estate would be incorporated into Reading.

 

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken in the third full week of November 2014. There's a big drop-off in activity on this site now. Continued removal of equipment, back to base or other construction sites. The last 'crawler crane' is being stripped down. Heavy-duty vehicular access to the far bank is restricted by the width and load-bearing capacity of the temporary bridge at Coburg, so the crane has to propel itself out and across the river to a waiting low-loader.

A Liebherr LTM 1050/1 All Terrain Mobile Crane is used for the job. It's telescopic boom, in working mode, extends to 40 m. At a near-vertical angle of 83º it could lift 7.4 ton. In secured compacted mode (10.5 m height), it could lift 50+ ton. Overall length: 8.7 m, - overall width: 2.5 m.

The boom arm of the 50-ton CCH3000 Crawler Crane is broken down into sections, and shipped out by truck. The working capacity of this machine is scalable, only dependent on the boom attached, and counterweight mounted on-board.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were by the end of the 3rd week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

The soil-shifters have finished. The main area of land has been seeded and growth is already happening. In selected areas, plants/shrubs have also been planted.

 

The plan now will be to allow nature to complete the task of reverting this section back to a wild habitat.

The deer, the foxes, the herons, the raptor birds and other associated wildlife can reclaim the banks . . until the planners decide on their next, belated, unnecessary intervention.

 

============================

 

Between the M11 motorway, and the Upper Dargle Road / Hazelwood areas, a stream has run for many years. As well as running from the Fassroe region (west above the M11) this also funnels much of the water run-off from the motorway itself.

 

There is a culvert running under the road and draining directly into the river opposite The Slang/Rehills.

A branch also runs parallel and through the Egan Business Park before exiting under the road and into the Dargle close to what is identified in historic Ordnance Survey maps as 'Rose Cottage - Laundry'.

 

There are plans to lay a proper pipe system to channel this water directly across to the Dargle. No doubt a welcome relief to householders along this stretch of road, given that their properties have been victim to the flash flooding that is happening more often due to changes in the meteorological systems, compounded by developments on the opposite side of the motorway.

 

The downside of this work is the removal of many trees here, and the consequent unwelcome exposure to said properties.

 

However, recently the contractors have 'filled-in' a large swathe of the previously cleared opening.

 

To develop this new pipeline, they need to channel a branch pipe under the Upper Dargle Road, discharging into the adjacent Dargle River itself.

This is not a simple 'cut and fill' overnight operation. They have to excavate deeply, pile-drive the cuttings for support, and lay the pipe sections. The plan here is to close off one lane of the road, at a time, while the work proceeds.

 

This is quite a busy road, with traffic especially heavy during morning and evening rush hour.

Control traffic lights allow contra-flow systems.

This is causing yet more inconvenience for local residents.

 

Unfortunately, based on previous bad experience with mindless hooliganism, the temporary compound now requires 24-hour security to protect the assembled machinery.

  

William Tecumseh Sherman, also known as the Sherman Memorial or Sherman Monument, is a sculpture group honoring William Tecumseh Sherman, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and located at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan, New York. Cast in 1902 and dedicated on May 30, 1903, the gilded-bronze monument consists of an equestrian statue of Sherman and an accompanying statue, Victory, an allegorical female figure of the Greek goddess Nike. The statues are set on a Stony Creek granite pedestal designed by the architect Charles Follen McKim.

 

The newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911 having bequeathed $50,000 for the creation of a memorial fountain to be "like those in the Place de la Concorde, Paris France". In December 1912, the executors of Pulitzer's estate announced that New York City had approved the fountain's proposed location, in the plaza between 58th Street and 60th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, the same plaza where the equestrian Sherman Monument stood since 1903. The executors invited five architecture firms to participate in a competition to determine the fountain's design, and to provide designs for a "good architectural treatment of the whole plaza". In January 1913, the five schemes were exhibited at the New York Public Library, including the winning scheme, designed by Carrère and Hastings. Architect Thomas Hasting's design placed the fountain in the southern half of the plaza, whereas the Sherman Monument remained in the northern half (but moved 15 feet (4.6 m) west to be symmetrically opposite the fountain). Construction of the new plaza began in 1915, and by November one newspaper reported: "The Pulitzer Fountain...is now finished and bubbling with the purest Croton water," noting that work on the northern portion of the plaza was delayed by subway construction

 

On May 30, 1974, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing to consider designation of the Grand Army Plaza, including the Sherman Monument, as a Scenic Landmark. The measure was approved on July 23, 1974.

 

On March 26, 1985, the Central Park Conservancy and the architecture firm of Buttrick White & Burtis presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a full restoration of the plaza, including the Sherman Monument. The work was completed in June 1990, including a re-gilding of the statue, and the replacement of a palm frond and a sword that had been removed previously.

 

The Grand Army Plaza was renewed again in 2013, including a re-gilding of the statue of William Tecumseh Sherman.

 

According to the report prepared by the Landmarks Commission for its 1974 designation, many consider the Sherman Monument to be Saint-Gaudens’ finest work. Not everyone agreed; according to Frank Weitenkampf, sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward was less than enthusiastic about the equestrian composition: "Saint-Gaudens was a timid rider and it showed in this work.... if the horse should stumble the general would inevitably be thrown over his head."

 

Use on coinage

The 1907 Saint-Gaudens double eagle portraying Liberty is based on his statue of Victory.

The 1907 Saint-Gaudens double eagle portraying Liberty is based on his statue of Victory.

The obverse of Saint-Gaudens' 1907 United States Saint-Gaudens double eagle coin, portraying Liberty, is based on his sculpture of Victory.

 

New York, sometimes called New York State, is a state in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders New Jersey and Pennsylvania to its south, New England and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec to its north, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. With almost 19.6 million residents, it is the fourth-most populous state in the United States and eighth-most densely populated as of 2023. New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2).

 

New York has a varied geography. The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate, encompasses New York City, the most populous city in the United States, Long Island, the most populous island in the United States, and the lower Hudson Valley. These areas are the center of the New York metropolitan area, a sprawling urban landmass, and account for approximately two-thirds of the state's population. The much larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain, and includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects the more mountainous regions of Upstate, and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany. Western New York, home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, is part of the Great Lakes region and borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse; between the central and western parts of the state, New York is dominated by the Finger Lakes, a popular tourist destination. To the south, along the state border with Pennsylvania, the Southern Tier sits atop the Allegheny Plateau, representing the northernmost reaches of Appalachia.

 

New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that went on to form the United States. The area of present-day New York had been inhabited by tribes of the Algonquians and the Iroquois Confederacy Native Americans for several thousand years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived. Stemming from Henry Hudson's expedition in 1609, the Dutch established the multiethnic colony of New Netherland in 1621. England seized the colony from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York. During the American Revolutionary War, a group of colonists eventually succeeded in establishing independence, and the former colony was officially admitted into the United States in 1788. From the early 19th century, New York's development of its interior, beginning with the construction of the Erie Canal, gave it incomparable advantages over other regions of the United States. The state built its political, cultural, and economic ascendancy over the next century, earning it the nickname of the "Empire State." Although deindustrialization eroded a significant portion of the state's economy in the second half of the 20th century, New York in the 21st century continues to be considered as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance, and environmental sustainability.

 

The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square, Central Park, Niagara Falls and Grand Central Terminal. New York is home to approximately 200 colleges and universities, including two Ivy League universities, Columbia University and Cornell University, and the expansive State University of New York, which is among the largest university systems in the nation. New York City is home to the headquarters of the United Nations, and it is sometimes described as the world's most important city, the cultural, financial, and media epicenter, and the capital of the world.

 

The history of New York begins around 10,000 B.C. when the first people arrived. By 1100 A.D. two main cultures had become dominant as the Iroquoian and Algonquian developed. European discovery of New York was led by the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 followed by the first land claim in 1609 by the Dutch. As part of New Netherland, the colony was important in the fur trade and eventually became an agricultural resource thanks to the patroon system. In 1626, the Dutch thought they had bought the island of Manhattan from Native Americans.[1] In 1664, England renamed the colony New York, after the Duke of York and Albany, brother of King Charles II. New York City gained prominence in the 18th century as a major trading port in the Thirteen Colonies.

 

New York played a pivotal role during the American Revolution and subsequent war. The Stamp Act Congress in 1765 brought together representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies to form a unified response to British policies. The Sons of Liberty were active in New York City to challenge British authority. After a major loss at the Battle of Long Island, the Continental Army suffered a series of additional defeats that forced a retreat from the New York City area, leaving the strategic port and harbor to the British army and navy as their North American base of operations for the rest of the war. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the war in favor of the Americans, convincing France to formally ally with them. New York's constitution was adopted in 1777, and strongly influenced the United States Constitution. New York City was the national capital at various times between 1788 and 1790, where the Bill of Rights was drafted. Albany became the permanent state capital in 1797. In 1787, New York became the eleventh state to ratify the United States Constitution.

 

New York hosted significant transportation advancements in the 19th century, including the first steamboat line in 1807, the Erie Canal in 1825, and America's first regularly scheduled rail service in 1831. These advancements led to the expanded settlement of western New York and trade ties to the Midwest settlements around the Great Lakes.

 

Due to New York City's trade ties to the South, there were numerous southern sympathizers in the early days of the American Civil War and the mayor proposed secession. Far from any of the battles, New York ultimately sent the most soldiers and money to support the Union cause. Thereafter, the state helped create the industrial age and consequently was home to some of the first labor unions.

 

During the 19th century, New York City became the main entry point for European immigrants to the United States, beginning with a wave of Irish during their Great Famine. Millions came through Castle Clinton in Battery Park before Ellis Island opened in 1892 to welcome millions more, increasingly from eastern and southern Europe. The Statue of Liberty opened in 1886 and became a symbol of hope. New York boomed during the Roaring Twenties, before the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and skyscrapers expressed the energy of the city. New York City was the site of successive tallest buildings in the world from 1913 to 1974.

 

The buildup of defense industries for World War II turned around the state's economy from the Great Depression, as hundreds of thousands worked to defeat the Axis powers. Following the war, the state experienced significant suburbanization around all the major cities, and most central cities shrank. The Thruway system opened in 1956, signaling another era of transportation advances.

 

Following a period of near-bankruptcy in the late 1970s, New York City renewed its stature as a cultural center, attracted more immigration, and hosted the development of new music styles. The city developed from publishing to become a media capital over the second half of the 20th century, hosting most national news channels and broadcasts. Some of its newspapers became nationally and globally renowned. The state's manufacturing base eroded with the restructuring of industry, and the state transitioned into service industries.

 

The first peoples of New York are estimated to have arrived around 10,000 BC. Around AD 800, Iroquois ancestors moved into the area from the Appalachian region. The people of the Point Peninsula complex were the predecessors of the Algonquian peoples of New York. By around 1100, the distinct Iroquoian-speaking and Algonquian-speaking cultures that would eventually be encountered by Europeans had developed. The five nations of the Iroquois League developed a powerful confederacy about the 15th century that controlled territory throughout present-day New York, into Pennsylvania around the Great Lakes. For centuries, the Mohawk cultivated maize fields in the lowlands of the Mohawk River, which were later taken over by Dutch settlers at Schenectady, New York when they bought this territory. The Iroquois nations to the west also had well-cultivated areas and orchards.

 

The Iroquois established dominance over the fur trade throughout their territory, bargaining with European colonists. Other New York tribes were more subject to either European destruction or assimilation within the Iroquoian confederacy. Situated at major Native trade routes in the Northeast and positioned between French and English zones of settlement, the Iroquois were intensely caught up with the onrush of Europeans, which is also to say that the settlers, whether Dutch, French or English, were caught up with the Iroquois as well. Algonquian tribes were less united among their tribes; they typically lived along rivers, streams, or the Atlantic Coast. But, both groups of natives were well-established peoples with highly sophisticated cultural systems; these were little understood or appreciated by the European colonists who encountered them. The natives had "a complex and elaborate native economy that included hunting, gathering, manufacturing, and farming...[and were] a mosaic of Native American tribes, nations, languages, and political associations." The Iroquois usually met at an Onondaga in Northern New York, which changed every century or so, where they would coordinate policies on how to deal with Europeans and strengthen the bond between the Five Nations.

 

Tribes who have managed to call New York home have been the Iroquois, Mohawk, Mohican, Susquehannock, Petun, Chonnonton, Ontario and Nanticoke.

 

In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer in the service of the French crown, explored the Atlantic coast of North America between the Carolinas and Newfoundland, including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay. On April 17, 1524, Verrazzano entered New York Bay, by way of the Strait now called the Narrows. He described "a vast coastline with a deep delta in which every kind of ship could pass" and he adds: "that it extends inland for a league and opens up to form a beautiful lake. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats". He landed on the tip of Manhattan and perhaps on the furthest point of Long Island.

 

In 1535, Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, became the first European to describe and map the Saint Lawrence River from the Atlantic Ocean, sailing as far upriver as the site of Montreal.

 

On April 4, 1609, Henry Hudson, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, departed Amsterdam in command of the ship Halve Maen (Half Moon). On September 3 he reached the estuary of the Hudson River. He sailed up the Hudson River to about Albany near the confluence of the Mohawk River and the Hudson. His voyage was used to establish Dutch claims to the region and to the fur trade that prospered there after a trading post was established at Albany in 1614.

 

In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Christiaensen, built Fort Nassau (now Albany) the first Dutch settlement in North America and the first European settlement in what would become New York. It was replaced by nearby Fort Orange in 1623. In 1625, Fort Amsterdam was built on the southern tip of Manhattan Island to defend the Hudson River. This settlement grew to become the city New Amsterdam.

 

The British conquered New Netherland in 1664; Lenient terms of surrender most likely kept local resistance to a minimum. The colony and New Amsterdam were both renamed New York (and "Beverwijck" was renamed Albany) after its new proprietor, James II later King of England, Ireland and Scotland, who was at the time Duke of York and Duke of Albany The population of New Netherland at the time of English takeover was 7,000–8,000.

 

Thousands of poor German farmers, chiefly from the Palatine region of Germany, migrated to upstate districts after 1700. They kept to themselves, married their own, spoke German, attended Lutheran churches, and retained their own customs and foods. They emphasized farm ownership. Some mastered English to become conversant with local legal and business opportunities. They ignored the Indians and tolerated slavery (although few were rich enough to own a slave).

 

Large manors were developed along the Hudson River by elite colonists during the 18th century, including Livingston, Cortlandt, Philipsburg, and Rensselaerswyck. The manors represented more than half of the colony's undeveloped land. The Province of New York thrived during this time, its economy strengthened by Long Island and Hudson Valley agriculture, in conjunction with trade and artisanal activity at the Port of New York; the colony was a breadbasket and lumberyard for the British sugar colonies in the Caribbean. New York's population grew substantially during this century: from the first colonial census (1698) to the last (1771), the province grew ninefold, from 18,067 to 168,007.

 

New York in the American Revolution

Further information: John Peter Zenger, Stamp Act Congress, Invasion of Canada (1775), New York and New Jersey campaign, Prisoners of war in the American Revolutionary War, and Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War

 

New York played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The colony verged on revolt following the Stamp Act of 1765, advancing the New York City–based Sons of Liberty to the forefront of New York politics. The Act exacerbated the depression the province experienced after unsuccessfully invading Canada in 1760. Even though New York City merchants lost out on lucrative military contracts, the group sought common ground between the King and the people; however, compromise became impossible as of April 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. In that aftermath the New York Provincial Congress on June 9, 1775, for five pounds sterling for each hundredweight of gunpowder delivered to each county's committee.

 

Two powerful families had for decades assembled colony-wide coalitions of supporters. With few exceptions, members long associated with the DeLancey faction went along when its leadership decided to support the crown, while members of the Livingston faction became Patriots.

 

New York's strategic central location and port made it key to controlling the colonies. The British assembled the century's largest fleet: at one point 30,000 British sailors and soldiers anchored off Staten Island. General George Washington barely escaped New York City with his army in November 1776; General Sir William Howe was successful in driving Washington out, but erred by expanding into New Jersey. By January 1777, he retained only a few outposts near New York City. The British held the city for the duration, using it as a base for expeditions against other targets.

 

In October 1777, American General Horatio Gates won the Battle of Saratoga, later regarded as the war's turning point. Had Gates not held, the rebellion might well have broken down: losing Saratoga would have cost the entire Hudson–Champlain corridor, which would have separated New England from the rest of the colonies and split the future union.

 

Upon war's end, New York's borders became well–defined: the counties east of Lake Champlain became Vermont and the state's western borders were settled by 1786.

 

Many Iroquois supported the British (typically fearing future American ambitions). Many were killed during the war; others went into exile with the British. Those remaining lived on twelve reservations; by 1826 only eight reservations remained, all of which survived into the 21st century.

 

The state adopted its constitution in April 1777, creating a strong executive and strict separation of powers. It strongly influenced the federal constitution a decade later. Debate over the federal constitution in 1787 led to formation of the groups known as Federalists—mainly "downstaters" (those who lived in or near New York City) who supported a strong national government—and Antifederalists—mainly upstaters (those who lived to the city's north and west) who opposed large national institutions. In 1787, Alexander Hamilton, a leading Federalist from New York and signatory to the Constitution, wrote the first essay of the Federalist Papers. He published and wrote most of the series in New York City newspapers in support of the proposed United States Constitution. Antifederalists were not swayed by the arguments, but the state ratified it in 1788.

 

In 1785, New York City became the national capital and continued as such on and off until 1790; George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States in front of Federal Hall in 1789. The United States Bill of Rights was drafted there, and the United States Supreme Court sat for the first time. From statehood to 1797, the Legislature frequently moved the state capital between Albany, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and New York City. Thereafter, Albany retained that role.

 

In the early 19th century, New York became a center for advancement in transportation. In 1807, Robert Fulton initiated a steamboat line from New York to Albany, the first successful enterprise of its kind. By 1815, Albany was the state's turnpike center, which established the city as the hub for pioneers migrating west to Buffalo and the Michigan Territory.

 

In 1825 the Erie Canal opened, securing the state's economic dominance. Its impact was enormous: one source stated, "Linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes, the canal was an act of political will that joined the regions of the state, created a vast economic hinterland for New York City, and established a ready market for agricultural products from the state's interior." In that year western New York transitioned from "frontier" to settled area. By this time, all counties and most municipalities had incorporated, approximately matching the state's is organized today. In 1831, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad started the country's first successful regularly–scheduled steam railroad service.

 

Advancing transportation quickly led to settlement of the fertile Mohawk and Gennessee valleys and the Niagara Frontier. Buffalo and Rochester became boomtowns. Significant migration of New England "Yankees" (mainly of English descent) to the central and western parts of the state led to minor conflicts with the more settled "Yorkers" (mainly of German, Dutch, and Scottish descent). More than 15% of the state's 1850 population had been born in New England[citation needed]. The western part of the state grew fastest at this time. By 1840, New York was home to seven of the nation's thirty largest cities.

 

During this period, towns established academies for education, including for girls. The western area of the state was a center of progressive causes, including support of abolitionism, temperance, and women's rights. Religious enthusiasms flourished and the Latter Day Saint movement was founded in the area by Joseph Smith and his vision. Some supporters of abolition participated in the Underground Railroad, helping fugitive slaves reach freedom in Canada or in New York.

 

In addition, in the early 1840s the state legislature and Governor William H. Seward expanded rights for free blacks and fugitive slaves in New York: in 1840 the legislature passed laws protecting the rights of African Americans against Southern slave-catchers. One guaranteed alleged fugitive slaves the right of a jury trial in New York to establish whether they were slaves, and another pledged the aid of the state to recover free blacks kidnapped into slavery, (as happened to Solomon Northup of Saratoga Springs in 1841, who did not regain freedom until 1853.) In 1841 Seward signed legislation to repeal a "nine-month law" that allowed slaveholders to bring their slaves into the state for a period of nine months before they were considered free. After this, slaves brought to the state were immediately considered freed, as was the case in some other free states. Seward also signed legislation to establish public education for all children, leaving it up to local jurisdictions as to how that would be supplied (some had segregated schools).

 

New York culture bloomed in the first half of the 19th century: in 1809 Washington Irving wrote the satirical A History of New York under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker, and in 1819 he based Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in Hudson Valley towns. Thomas Cole's Hudson River School was established in the 1830s by showcasing dramatic landscapes of the Hudson Valley. The first baseball teams formed in New York City in the 1840s, including the New York Knickerbockers. Professional baseball later located its Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Saratoga Race Course, an annual summer attraction in Saratoga Springs, opened in 1847.

 

A civil war was not in the best interest of business, because New York had strong ties to the Deep South, both through the port of New York and manufacture of cotton goods in upstate textile mills. Half of New York City's exports were related to cotton before the war. Southern businessmen so frequently traveled to the city that they established favorite hotels and restaurants. Trade was based on moving Southern goods. The city's large Democrat community feared the impact of Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 and the mayor urged secession of New York.

 

By the time of the 1861 Battle of Fort Sumter, such political differences decreased and the state quickly met Lincoln's request for soldiers and supplies. More soldiers fought from New York than any other Northern state. While no battles were waged in New York, the state was not immune to Confederate conspiracies, including one to burn various New York cities and another to invade the state via Canada.

 

In January 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in states that were still in rebellion against the union. In March 1863, the federal draft law was changed so that male citizens between 20 and 35 and unmarried citizens to age 45 were subject to conscription. Those who could afford to hire a substitute or pay $300 were exempt. Antiwar newspaper editors attacked the law, and many immigrants and their descendants resented being drafted in place of people who could buy their way out. Democratic Party leaders raised the specter of a deluge of freed southern blacks competing with the white working class, then dominated by ethnic Irish and immigrants. On the lottery's first day, July 11, 1863, the first lottery draw was held. On Monday, July 13, 1863, five days of large-scale riots began, which were dominated by ethnic Irish, who targeted blacks in the city, their neighborhoods, and known abolitionist sympathizers. As a result, many blacks left Manhattan permanently, moving to Brooklyn or other areas.

 

In the following decades, New York strengthened its dominance of the financial and banking industries. Manufacturing continued to rise: Eastman Kodak founded in 1888 in Rochester, General Electric in Schenectady, and Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company in the Triple Cities are some of the well-known companies founded during this period. Buffalo and Niagara Falls attracted numerous factories following the advent of hydroelectric power in the area. With industry blooming, workers began to unite in New York as early as the 1820s. By 1882, the Knights of Labor in New York City had 60,000 members. Trade unions used political influence to limit working hours as early as 1867. At the same time, New York's agricultural output peaked. Focus changed from crop-based to dairy-based agriculture. The cheese industry became established in the Mohawk Valley. By 1881, the state had more than 241,000 farms. In the same period, the area around New York harbor became the world's oyster capital, retaining that title into the early twentieth century.

 

Immigration increased throughout the latter half of the 19th century. Starting with refugees from the Great Famine of Ireland in the 1840s, New York became a prominent entry point for those seeking a new life in the United States. Between 1855 and 1890, an estimated 8 million immigrants passed through Castle Clinton at Battery Park in Manhattan. Early in this period, most immigrants came from Ireland and Germany. Ellis Island opened in 1892, and between 1880 and 1920, most immigrants were German and Eastern European Jews, Poles, and other Eastern and Southern Europeans, including many Italians. By 1925, New York City's population outnumbered that of London, making it the most populous city in the world. Arguably New York's most identifiable symbol, Liberty Enlightening the World (the Statue of Liberty), a gift from France for the American centennial, was completed in 1886. By the early 20th century, the statue was regarded as the "Mother of Exiles"—a symbol of hope to immigrants.

 

New York's political pattern changed little after the mid–19th century. New York City and its metropolitan area was already heavily Democrat; Upstate was aligned with the Republican Party and was a center of abolitionist activists. In the 1850s, Democratic Tammany Hall became one of the most powerful and durable political machines in United States history. Boss William Tweed brought the organization to the forefront of city and then state politics in the 1860s. Based on its command of a large population, Tammany maintained influence until at least the 1930s. Outside the city, Republicans were able to influence the redistricting process enough to constrain New York City and capture control of the Legislature in 1894. Both parties have seen national political success: in the 39 presidential elections between 1856 and 2010, Republicans won 19 times and Democrats 20 times.

 

By 1901, New York was the richest and most populous state. Two years prior, the five boroughs of New York City became one city. Within decades, the city's emblem had become the skyscraper: the Woolworth Building was the tallest building in the world from 1913, surpassed by 40 Wall Street in April 1930, the Chrysler Building in 1930, the Empire State Building in 1931, and the World Trade Center in 1972 before losing the title in 1974.

 

The state was serviced by over a dozen major railroads and at the start of the 20th century and electric Interurban rail networks began to spring up around Syracuse, Rochester and other cities in New York during this period.

 

In the late 1890s governor Theodore Roosevelt and fellow Republicans such as Charles Evans Hughes worked with many Democrats such as Al Smith to promote Progressivism. They battled trusts and monopolies (especially in the insurance industry), promoted efficiency, fought waste, and called for more democracy in politics. Democrats focused more on the benefits of progressivism for their own ethnic working class base and for labor unions.

 

Democratic political machines, especially Tammany Hall in Manhattan, opposed woman suffrage because they feared that the addition of female voters would dilute the control they had established over groups of male voters. By the time of the New York State referendum on women's suffrage in 1917, however, some wives and daughters of Tammany Hall leaders were working for suffrage, leading it to take a neutral position that was crucial to the referendum's passage.

 

Following a sharp but short-lived Depression at the beginning of the decade, New York enjoyed a booming economy during the Roaring Twenties. New York suffered during the Great Depression, which began with the Wall Street crash on Black Tuesday in 1929. The Securities and Exchange Commission opened in 1934 to regulate the stock market. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected governor in 1928, and the state faced upwards of 25% unemployment. His Temporary Emergency Relief Agency, established in 1931, was the first work relief program in the nation and influenced the national Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Roosevelt was elected President in 1932 in part because of his promises to extend New York–style relief programs across the country via his New Deal. In 1932, Lake Placid was host to the III Olympic Winter Games.

 

As the largest state, New York again supplied the most resources during World War II. New York manufactured 11 percent of total United States military armaments produced during the war and suffered 31,215 casualties. The war affected the state both socially and economically. For example, to overcome discriminatory labor practices, Governor Herbert H. Lehman created the Committee on Discrimination in Employment in 1941 and Governor Thomas E. Dewey signed the Ives-Quinn Act in 1945, banning employment discrimination. The G.I. Bill of 1944, which offered returning soldiers the opportunity of affordable higher education, forced New York to create a public university system since its private universities could not handle the influx; the State University of New York was created by Governor Dewey in 1948.

 

World War II constituted New York's last great industrial era. At its conclusion, the defense industry shrank and the economy shifted towards producing services rather than goods. Returning soldiers disproportionately displaced female and minority workers who had entered the industrial workforce only when the war left employers no other choice. Companies moved to the south and west, seeking lower taxes and a less costly, non–union workforce. Many workers followed the jobs. The middle class expanded and created suburbs such as the one on Long Island. The automobile accelerated this decentralization; planned communities like Levittown offered affordable middle-class housing.

 

Larger cities stopped growing around 1950. Growth resumed only in New York City, in the 1980s. Buffalo's population fell by half between 1950 and 2000. Reduced immigration and worker migration led New York State's population to decline for the first time between 1970 and 1980. California and Texas both surpassed it in population.

 

New York entered its third era of massive transportation projects by building highways, notably the New York State Thruway. The project was unpopular with New York City Democrats, who referred to it as "Dewey's ditch" and the "enemy of schools", because the Thruway disproportionately benefited upstate. The highway was based on the German Autobahn and was unlike anything seen at that point in the United States. It was within 30 miles (50 km) of 90% of the population at its conception. Costing $600 million, the full 427-mile (687 km) project opened in 1956.

 

Nelson Rockefeller was governor from 1959 to 1973 and changed New York politics. He began as a liberal, but grew more conservative: he limited SUNY's growth, responded aggressively to the Attica Prison riot, and promulgated the uniquely severe Rockefeller Drug Laws. The World Trade Center and other profligate projects nearly drove New York City into bankruptcy in 1975. The state took substantial budgetary control, which eventually led to improved fiscal prudence.

 

The Executive Mansion was retaken by Democrats in 1974 and remained under Democratic control for 20 years under Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo. Late–century Democrats became more centrist, including US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1977–2001) and New York City Mayor Ed Koch (1978–1989), while state Republicans began to align themselves with the more conservative national party. They gained power through the elections of Senator Alfonse D'Amato in 1980, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1993, and Governor George Pataki in 1994. New York remained one of the most liberal states. In 1984, Ronald Reagan was the last Republican to carry the state, although Republican Michael Bloomberg served as New York City mayor in the early 21st century.

 

In the late 20th century, telecommunication and high technology industries employed many New Yorkers. New York City was especially successful at this transition. Entrepreneurs created many small companies, as industrial firms such as Polaroid withered. This success drew many young professionals into the still–dwindling cities. New York City was the exception and has continued to draw new residents. The energy of the city created attractions and new businesses. Some people believe that changes in policing created a less threatening environment; crime rates dropped, and urban development reduced urban decay.

 

This in turn led to a surge in culture. New York City became, once again, "the center for all things chic and trendy". Hip-hop and rap music, led by New York City, became the most popular pop genre. Immigration to both the city and state rose. New York City, with a large gay and lesbian community, suffered many deaths from AIDS beginning in the 1980s.

 

New York City increased its already large share of television programming, home to the network news broadcasts, as well as two of the three major cable news networks. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times became two of the three "national" newspapers, read throughout the country. New York also increased its dominance of the financial services industry centered on Wall Street, led by banking expansion, a rising stock market, innovations in investment banking, including junk bond trading and accelerated by the savings and loan crisis that decimated competitors elsewhere in New York.

 

Upstate did not fare as well as downstate; the major industries that began to reinvigorate New York City did not typically spread to other regions. The number of farms in the state had fallen to 30,000 by 1997. City populations continued to decline while suburbs grew in area, but did not increase proportionately in population. High-tech industry grew in cities such as Corning and Rochester. Overall New York entered the new millennium "in a position of economic strength and optimism".

 

In 2001, New York entered a new era following the 9/11 attacks, the worst terrorist attack ever to take place on American soil. Two of the four hijacked passenger jets crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, destroying them, and killing almost 3,000 people. One flew into the Pentagon demolishing the walls. The final one was almost taken back over by the passengers aboard and crashed into an open grassland with 296 out of the 500 people dead. Thousands of New Yorkers volunteered their time to search the ruin for survivors and remains in the following weeks.

 

Following the attacks, plans were announced to rebuild the World Trade Center site. 7 World Trade Center became the first World Trade Center skyscraper to be rebuilt in five years after the attacks. One World Trade Center, four more office towers, and a memorial to the casualties of the September 11 attacks are under construction as of 2011. One World Trade Center opened on November 3, 2014.

 

On October 29 and 30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused extensive destruction of the state's shorelines, ravaging portions of New York City, Long Island, and southern Westchester with record-high storm surge, with severe flooding and high winds causing power outages for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and leading to gasoline shortages and disruption of mass transit systems. The storm and its profound effects have prompted the discussion of constructing seawalls and other coastal barriers around the shorelines of New York City and Long Island to minimize the risk from another such future event. Such risk is considered highly probable due to global warming and rising sea levels.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were by the end of the 3rd week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

The soil-shifters have finished. The main area of land has been seeded and growth is already happening. In selected areas, plants/shrubs have also been planted.

 

The plan now will be to allow nature to complete the task of reverting this section back to a wild habitat.

The deer, the foxes, the herons, the raptor birds and other associated wildlife can reclaim the banks . . until the planners decide on their next, belated, unnecessary intervention.

 

============================

 

Between the M11 motorway, and the Upper Dargle Road / Hazelwood areas, a stream has run for many years. As well as running from the Fassroe region (west above the M11) this also funnels much of the water run-off from the motorway itself.

 

There is a culvert running under the road and draining directly into the river opposite The Slang/Rehills.

A branch also runs parallel and through the Egan Business Park before exiting under the road and into the Dargle close to what is identified in historic Ordnance Survey maps as 'Rose Cottage - Laundry'.

 

There are plans to lay a proper pipe system to channel this water directly across to the Dargle. No doubt a welcome relief to householders along this stretch of road, given that their properties have been victim to the flash flooding that is happening more often due to changes in the meteorological systems, compounded by developments on the opposite side of the motorway.

 

The downside of this work is the removal of many trees here, and the consequent unwelcome exposure to said properties.

 

However, recently the contractors have 'filled-in' a large swathe of the previously cleared opening.

 

To develop this new pipeline, they need to channel a branch pipe under the Upper Dargle Road, discharging into the adjacent Dargle River itself.

This is not a simple 'cut and fill' overnight operation. They have to excavate deeply, pile-drive the cuttings for support, and lay the pipe sections. The plan here is to close off one lane of the road, at a time, while the work proceeds.

 

This is quite a busy road, with traffic especially heavy during morning and evening rush hour.

Control traffic lights allow contra-flow systems.

This is causing yet more inconvenience for local residents.

 

Unfortunately, based on previous bad experience with mindless hooliganism, the temporary compound now requires 24-hour security to protect the assembled machinery.

  

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 1st week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5 years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

============================

 

Between the M11 motorway, and the Upper Dargle Road / Hazelwood areas, a stream has run for many years. As well as running from the Fassroe region (west above the M11) this also funnels much of the water run-off from the motorway itself.

 

There is a culvert running under the road and draining directly into the river opposite The Slang/Rehills.

A branch also runs parallel and through the Egan Business Park before exiting under the road and into the Dargle close to what is identified in historic Ordnance Survey maps as 'Rose Cottage - Laundry'.

 

There are plans to lay a proper pipe system to channel this water directly across to the Dargle. No doubt a welcome relief to householders along this stretch of road, given that their properties have been victim to the flash flooding that is happening more often due to changes in the meteorological systems, compounded by developments on the opposite side of the motorway.

 

The downside of this work is the removal of many trees here, and the consequent unwelcome exposure to said properties.

 

However, recently the contractors have 'filled-in' a large swathe of the previously cleared opening.

 

To develop this new pipeline, they need to channel a branch pipe under the Upper Dargle Road, discharging into the adjacent Dargle River itself.

This is not a simple 'cut and fill' overnight operation. They have to excavate deeply, pile-drive the cuttings for support, and lay the pipe sections. The plan here is to close off one lane of the road, at a time, while the work proceeds.

 

This is quite a busy road, with traffic especially heavy during morning and evening rush hour.

Control traffic lights allow contra-flow systems.

This is causing yet more inconvenience for local residents.

 

Unfortunately, based on previous bad experience with mindless hooliganism, the temporary compound now requires 24-hour security to protect the assembled machinery.

 

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken in the third full week of November 2014. There's a big drop-off in activity on this site now. Continued removal of equipment, back to base or other construction sites. The last 'crawler crane' is being stripped down. Heavy-duty vehicular access to the far bank is restricted by the width and load-bearing capacity of the temporary bridge at Coburg, meaning that the crane has to propel itself out and across the river to a waiting low-loader. The boom arm of the 50-ton CCH3000 Crawler Crane is broken down into sections, and shipped out by truck. A Liebherr LTM 1050/1 All Terrain Mobile Crane was used for the job. The steep angle of the bank meant that the attending CAT 3300L had to nudge and lift the crawler crane at critical moments. These guys knew what they were doing, had done it many times before and never faltered for a moment. A great lunch-hour show for me to watch.

This little montage features a veritable gathering of four Mean Green Machines.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 2nd week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

The soil-shifters have finished. The main area of land has been seeded and growth is already happening. In selected areas, plants/shrubs have also been planted.

 

The plan now will be to allow nature to complete the task of reverting this section back to a wild habitat.

The deer, the foxes, the herons, the raptor birds and other associated wildlife can reclaim the banks . . until the planners decide on their next, belated, unnecessary intervention.

 

============================

 

Between the M11 motorway, and the Upper Dargle Road / Hazelwood areas, a stream has run for many years. As well as running from the Fassroe region (west above the M11) this also funnels much of the water run-off from the motorway itself.

 

There is a culvert running under the road and draining directly into the river opposite The Slang/Rehills.

A branch also runs parallel and through the Egan Business Park before exiting under the road and into the Dargle close to what is identified in historic Ordnance Survey maps as 'Rose Cottage - Laundry'.

 

There are plans to lay a proper pipe system to channel this water directly across to the Dargle. No doubt a welcome relief to householders along this stretch of road, given that their properties have been victim to the flash flooding that is happening more often due to changes in the meteorological systems, compounded by developments on the opposite side of the motorway.

 

The downside of this work is the removal of many trees here, and the consequent unwelcome exposure to said properties.

 

However, recently the contractors have 'filled-in' a large swathe of the previously cleared opening.

 

To develop this new pipeline, they need to channel a branch pipe under the Upper Dargle Road, discharging into the adjacent Dargle River itself.

This is not a simple 'cut and fill' overnight operation. They have to excavate deeply, pile-drive the cuttings for support, and lay the pipe sections. The plan here is to close off one lane of the road, at a time, while the work proceeds.

 

This is quite a busy road, with traffic especially heavy during morning and evening rush hour.

Control traffic lights allow contra-flow systems.

This is causing yet more inconvenience for local residents.

 

Unfortunately, based on previous bad experience with mindless hooliganism, the temporary compound now requires 24-hour security to protect the assembled machinery.

  

You have to wonder if Beck taxi had anything to do with the colour scheme of the Muskoka chairs set up on King Street West

 

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken in the second full week of November 2014.

 

There's a big drop-off in activity on this site now. Some finishing touches to the river bed itself, cosmetic work along the riverbank sides, and a jig-saw pattern of large boulders placed in mid-stream. The main (final) focus will be on completing the profiles to the wall, securing with poured concrete, and then the completion with the pre-fabricated stone capping.

 

The guys have attached steel frames to the recess of the sheet-steel uprights, and filled with concrete. They very carefully check levels, laser-assisted. There's still a surprising amount of intricate manual work involved -- machines can only do so much!

 

The next step involves swinging in pre-formed capping slabs, with inset jacking points, and embedded rods to intertwine with the sheet-steel wall. Accuracy satisfied, the welder melds them together.

It's a race against time, schedules - and expected heavy rains and high river levels on the way.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the fourth week of June 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5 years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

However, the soil-shifters are at it again.

Smaller operation than before, but a steady process of removing soil, shifting soil and reshaping the banks.

 

You don't have to be a certified civil engineer to figure out that there are quicker and more efficient ways to move the soil.

Using one excavator, a few dumper-trucks and a single bulldozer is a process not driven by time/cost.

 

If you 'really' had to complete this work quickly, you'd line up a few 'bigboy' bulldozers . . . . . and shift the soil in days, rather than weeks-months.

This 'hurdler on the ditch' simply comments on the piecemeal nature of this planning!

 

Maybe they're eavesdropping . . . but, suddenly, man-mountains disappear, and level expanses appear.

 

Along this strip of the riverbank, they are landscaping a strip of land, installing public seating and creating picnic area.

The pedestrian tracks running around are called 'Hoggin paths'.

Nice idea. I hope it is properly used and well maintained.

 

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5 years.

 

================================================

 

'Hoggin' is a compactable groundcover that is composed of a mixture of clay, gravel, and sand or granite dust that produces a buff-coloured bound surface.

The material is aesthetically suited to older properties and is lower maintenance than gravel alone since it does not need regular raking. Once laid, the surface is somewhat permeable to water and therefore does not easily hold puddles or generate rapid surface runoff.

 

The material is increasingly being used at domestic properties as a low cost and environmentally friendly alternative to concrete and block paving in paths and driveways.

 

A compacted sub-base of larger crushed stone is often laid prior to the top layer of hoggin, especially if the area to be covered is soft ground, or prone to puddling.

The larger rocks provide a firm base for the hoggin, and improved drainage.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the second week of April 2017.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

However, the soil-shifters are at it again.

Smaller operation than before, but a steady process of removing soil, shifting soil and reshaping the banks.

 

Said it before, and I'll say it again . . . . .

 

I call it the 'Biggest Sandpit/Playarea' in Wicklow, in Leinster, in Ireland.

The place is a mess. Aesthetically, the uneven flow to the ridges and terraces annoys me.

 

You don't have to be a certified civil engineer to figure out that there are quicker and more efficient ways to move the soil.

Using one excavator, a few dumper-trucks and a single bulldozer is a process not driven by time/cost.

If you 'really' had to complete this work quickly, you'd line up a few 'bigboy' bulldozers . . . . . and shift the soil in days, rather than weeks-months.

 

Obviously someone has a Plan.

So everyone works to the Plan.

Except that there have obviously been many Plans.

 

This 'hurdler on the ditch' simply comments on the piecemeal nature of this planning!

Coming up now on 5 years of this work.

   

BNSF No. 625, still in Santa Fe warbonnet paint scheme, was parked in storage at BNSF's Northtown Yard in 2020.

In the late 1970s, some CTA PCC cars received this modified version of the Bi-Centennial livery applied to some CTA cars. It differed in that the red-white-&-blue stripes curved upward at a 90 degree angle instead of a 45 degree angle (as shown here www.chicago-l.org/liveries/6000-bicent.jpg) and the cars did not receive names.

 

The scheme was based on that, which cars #2401-2600 were delivered in www.chicago-l.org/liveries/2400-rwb1.jpg One could say that this paint scheme was a sort of bridge between the Bi-Centennial and "Spirit of Chicago" www.chicago-l.org/liveries/2000-rwb.jpg liveries.

Description: You know what it is

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 4th week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

The soil-shifters have finished. The main area of land has been seeded and growth is already happening. In selected areas, plants/shrubs have also been planted.

 

The plan now will be to allow nature to complete the task of reverting this section back to a wild habitat.

The deer, the foxes, the herons, the raptor birds and other associated wildlife can reclaim the banks . . until the planners decide on their next, belated, unnecessary intervention.

 

Some remedial work is needed to 'complete' the river edge bank upon removal of the access bridge. This work involves both landscaping and stone barrier protection.

We can see the remains of the caissons/piers used to support the temporary access bridge that carried all construction traffic/machinery.

 

============================

 

Between the M11 motorway, and the Upper Dargle Road / Hazelwood areas, a stream has run for many years. As well as running from the Fassroe region (west above the M11) this also funnels much of the water run-off from the motorway itself.

 

There is a culvert running under the road and draining directly into the river opposite The Slang/Rehills.

A branch also runs parallel and through the Egan Business Park before exiting under the road and into the Dargle close to what is identified in historic Ordnance Survey maps as 'Rose Cottage - Laundry'.

 

There are plans to lay a proper pipe system to channel this water directly across to the Dargle. No doubt a welcome relief to householders along this stretch of road, given that their properties have been victim to the flash flooding that is happening more often due to changes in the meteorological systems, compounded by developments on the opposite side of the motorway.

 

The downside of this work is the removal of many trees here, and the consequent unwelcome exposure to said properties.

 

However, recently the contractors have 'filled-in' a large swathe of the previously cleared opening.

 

To develop this new pipeline, they need to channel a branch pipe under the Upper Dargle Road, discharging into the adjacent Dargle River itself.

This is not a simple 'cut and fill' overnight operation. They have to excavate deeply, pile-drive the cuttings for support, and lay the pipe sections. The plan here is to close off one lane of the road, at a time, while the work proceeds.

 

This is quite a busy road, with traffic especially heavy during morning and evening rush hour.

Control traffic lights allow contra-flow systems.

This is causing yet more inconvenience for local residents.

 

Unfortunately, based on previous bad experience with mindless hooliganism, the temporary compound now requires 24-hour security to protect the assembled machinery.

  

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken on the first week of August 2014.

 

JONS Civil Engineering are engaged in the preparation and construction works - progressing steadily in this area of the The Slang/Dargle River. Sheet piling is a form of driven piling using thin interlocking sheets of steel to obtain a continuous barrier in the ground.

The current work involves the construction of a protective wall structure, at the edge of the riverbank adjacent to the La Vallee complexes.

 

Having erected the steel cross-beam frames, sections of which are welded for added rigidity, and then used to position/align the slotted 'Z' sheet piles, the guys then use what is known as a 'Dawson Sheet Pile Threader' to neatly interlock the wall of steel lengths. Progress is steady and relentless -- the steel wall would measure approx. 270 metres.

Another attempt to breath life into BigDog, the 3-ton hydraulic hammer.

Parts from the UK, round-the-clock assistance: NO, this dog wasn't going to bark too often!

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken in the first full week of November 2014.

 

There is a noticeable drop-off in the level of activity on this site now.

There's still some finishing touches to the river bed itself, cosmetic work along the riverbank sides, and a jig-saw pattern of large boulders placed in mid-stream.

 

The main (final) focus will be on completing the profiles to the sheet-steel wall, securing the structure with poured concrete, and then the completion with the pre-fabricated stone capping.

The majority of operatives who attended through the summer months have since moved on to other sites/tasks.

 

And we can see a slow repatriation of heavy-duty equipment back to base.

Having laid steel frames, back-braced for rigidity, they proceed to pour mixed cement into a suspended cradle which is swung across the river, allowing them to carefully measure out the cement fill through the sleeve -- so necessary when working in small, confined intricate spaces.

Tanygrisiau Reservoir lower of two reservoirs which powers Ffestiniog Power Station. In the village of Tanygrisiau, in Gwynedd, North Wales.

 

The Ffestiniog Power Station is a 360-megawatt (480,000 hp) pumped-storage hydroelectricity scheme near Ffestiniog, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, United Kingdom. The power station at the lower reservoir has four water turbines, which can generate 360 megawatts of electricity within 60 seconds of the need arising. The scheme has the capacity to power the whole of North Wales for several hours.

 

The station, commissioned in 1963, was the first major pumped storage system in the UK. The upper reservoir is Llyn Stwlan which discharges 27 cubic metres per second (950 cu ft/s) of water to the turbine generators at the power station on the bank of Tan-y-Grisiau reservoir. The building of the lower reservoir flooded the route of the Ffestiniog Railway which had to build a deviation around the reservoir and power station.

 

The plant is operated by First Hydro, a UK company owned by a joint venture of International Power and Mitsui & Co., and has an average efficiency of 72–73% i.e. it uses 39% more electricity (when pumping the water back up to the Llyn Stwlan) than it actually produces.

 

We decided to go for a city break rather than sun in Tenerife again this September. Other than a few days in the North East we haven’t been away since last March and wanted a change and hopefully some sun. The problem is getting flights from the north of England to the places we want to go to. We chose Valencia as we could fly from East Midlands – which was still a pain to get to as it involved the most notorious stretch of the M1 at five in the morning. In the end we had a fairly good journey, the new Ryanair business class pre-booked scheme worked quite well and bang on time as usual. It was dull when we landed with storms forecast all week, the sky was bright grey – the kiss of death to the photography I had in mind. I was full of cold and wishing I was at work. It did rain but it was overnight on our first night and didn't affect us. There has been a drought for eleven months apparently and it rained on our first day there! The forecast storms didn't materialise in Valencia but they got it elsewhere.

 

You May notice discrepancies in the spelling of some Spanish words or names, this is because Valencian is used on signs, in some guide books and maps. There are two languages in common use with distinct differences. There may also be genuine mistakes - it has been known!

 

Over the course of a Monday to Sunday week we covered 75 miles on foot and saw most of the best of Valencia – The City of Bell Towers. The Old City covers a pretty large area in a very confusing layout. There was a lot of referring to maps – even compass readings! – a first in a city for us. The problem with photography in Valencia is that most of the famous and attractive building are closely built around, some have poor quality housing built on to them. Most photographs have to be taken from an extreme angle looking up. There are no high points as it is pan flat, there are a small number of buildings where you can pay to go up on to the roof for a better view and we went up them – more than once!

 

The modern buildings of The City of Arts and Sciences – ( Ciutat de Las Arts I de les Ciencies ) are what the city has more recently become famous for, with tourists arriving by the coachload all day until late at night. They must be photographed millions of times a month. We went during the day and stayed till dark one evening, I gave it my best shot but a first time visit is always a compromise between ambition and realism, time dictates that we have to move on to the next destination. I travelled with a full size tripod – another first – I forgot to take it with me to TCoAaS! so It was time to wind up the ISO, again! Needless to say I never used the tripod.

 

On a day when rain was forecast but it stayed fine, albeit a bit dull, we went to the Bioparc north west of the city, a zoo by another name. There are many claims made for this place, were you can appear to walk alongside some very large animals, including, elephants, lions, giraffe, rhino, gorillas and many types of monkey to name a few. It is laid out in different geographical regions and there is very little between you and the animals, in some cases there is nothing, you enter the enclosure through a double door arrangement and the monkeys are around you. It gets rave reviews and we stayed for most of the day. The animals it has to be said gave the appearance of extreme boredom and frustration and I felt quite sorry for them.

 

The course of The River Turia was altered after a major flood in the 50’s. The new river runs west of the city flanked by a motorway. The old river, which is massive, deep and very wide between ancient walls, I can’t imagine how it flooded, has been turned into a park that is five miles long. There is an athletics track, football pitches, cycle paths, restaurants, numerous kids parks, ponds, fountains, loads of bridges, historic and modern. At the western end closest to the sea sits The City of Arts and Sciences – in the river bed. Where it meets the sea there is Valencia’s urban Formula One racetrack finishing in the massive marina built for The Americas Cup. The race track is in use as roadways complete with fully removable street furniture, kerbs, bollards, lights, islands and crossings, everything is just sat on the surface ready to be moved.

 

We found the beach almost by accident, we were desperate for food after putting in a lot of miles and the afternoon was ticking by. What a beach, 100’s of metres wide and stretching as far as the eye could see with a massive promenade. The hard thing was choosing, out of the dozens of restaurants, all next door to each other, all serving traditional Paella – rabbit and chicken – as well as seafood, we don’t eat seafood and it constituted 90% of the menu in most places. Every restaurant does a fixed price dish of the day, with a few choices, three courses and a drink. Some times this was our only meal besides making the most of the continental breakfast at the hotel. We had a fair few bar stops with the local wine being cheap and pleasant it would have been a shame not to, there would have been a one woman riot – or strike!

 

On our final day, a Sunday, we were out of bed and down for breakfast at 7.45 as usual, the place was deserted barring a waiter. We walked out of the door at 8.30 – in to the middle of a mass road race with many thousands of runners, one of a series that take place in Valencia – apparently! We struggled to find out the distance, possibly 10km. The finish was just around the corner so off we went with the camera gear, taking photos of random runners and groups. There was a TV crew filming it and some local celebrity (I think) commentating. Next we came across some sort of wandering religious and musical event. Some sort of ritual was played out over the course of Sunday morning in various locations, it involved catholic priests and religious buildings and another film crew. The Catholic tourists and locals were filling the (many) churches for Sunday mass. Amongst all of this we had seen men walking around in Arab style dress – the ones in black looked like the ones from ISIS currently beheading people – all carrying guns. A bit disconcerting. We assumed that there had been some sort of battle enactment. We were wrong, it hadn’t happened yet. A while later, about 11.30 we could hear banging, fireworks? No it was our friends with the guns. We were caught up in total mayhem, around 60 men randomly firing muskets with some sort of blank rounds, the noise, smoke and flames from the muzzles were incredible. We were about to climb the Torres de Serranos which is where, unbeknown to us, the grand, and deafening, finale was going to be. We could feel the blast in our faces on top of the tower. Yet again there was a film camera in attendance. I couldn’t get close ups but I got a good overview and shot my first video with the 5D, my first in 5 years of owning a DLSR with the capability. I usually use my phone ( I used my phone as well). Later in the day there was a bullfight taking place, the ring was almost next to our hotel, in the end we had other things to do and gave it a miss, it was certainly a busy Sunday in the city centre, whether it’s the norm or not I don’t know.

 

There is a tram system in Valencia but it goes from the port area into the newer part of the city on the north side, it wouldn’t be feasible to serve the historic old city really. A quick internet search told me that there are 55,000 university students in the city, a pretty big number. I think a lot of the campus is on the north side and served by the tram although there is a massive fleet of buses as well. There is a massive, very impressive market building , with 100’s of stalls that would make a photo project on its own, beautiful on the inside and out but very difficult to get decent photos of the exterior other than detail shots owing to the closeness of other buildings and the sheer size of it. Across town, another market has been beautifully renovated and is full of bars and restaurants and a bit of a destination in its own right.

 

A downside was the all too typical shafting by the taxi drivers who use every trick in the book to side step the official tariffs and rob you. The taxi from the airport had a “broken” meter and on the way home we were driven 22 km instead of the nine that is the actual distance. Some of them seem to view tourists as cash cows to be robbed at all costs. I emailed the Marriot hotel as they ordered the taxi, needless to say no answer from Marriot – they’ve had their money. We didn’t get the rip off treatment in the bars etc. that we experienced in Rome, prices are very fair on most things, certainly considering the city location.

 

All in all we had a good trip and can highly recommend Valencia.

 

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the first week of October 2014.

 

The guys were now working to reinforce the riverside of the sheetpiling, buttressing with large boulders, and an overlay of smaller gravel. Most of the sheet piles were driven into place. Work now involved re-inforcing the base of the sheet wall.

On this side of the river, that work required the placement of steel-rod reinforced concrete pouring. Weekend stroll along the riverbank to get a closer look at the structures.

 

Wanted to monitor the effects of the overnight deluge of rain. Took the opportunity also to fully explore the Slang (Rehill) area on the other side of the bank.

Hadn't been there before.

Spectacularly bright and sunny day (a bit difficult for photos), interestingly different view of the buildings we work in.

 

Apart from occasional soft surface, there was little evidence of flooding.

That would occur a few days later!

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 4th week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

The soil-shifters have finished. The main area of land has been seeded and growth is already happening. In selected areas, plants/shrubs have also been planted.

 

The plan now will be to allow nature to complete the task of reverting this section back to a wild habitat.

The deer, the foxes, the herons, the raptor birds and other associated wildlife can reclaim the banks . . until the planners decide on their next, belated, unnecessary intervention.

 

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the 2nd week of July, 2017.

 

The levels of activity fluctuate along this stretch of the riverbank, and especially around the Irish Rail bridge, informed by the tides and priorities.

 

Since Summer 2016, this is where the heavy-duty engineering works have been taking place.

This is a section of the flood protection scheme that I have not covered in detail -- it's inconvenient for me to access, and others cover it much better.

 

Standing on the new riverside walkway alongside Seapoint Court, we could see construction activity sited along the Ravenswell Road, temporarily closed due to on-going works.

That was the site of the old Bray Golf Club -- hotly contested as a (potentially) poorly considered as a site for a shopping centre development complex, and still an area of ground that has to act as a flood plain in the event of tidal surges.

 

As well as raising a heightened flood protection wall, they've created an access ramp down to the riverside.

 

The area in the background, site of the old Bray Golf course, was both a works compound and vehicle route for the transportation of material to/from the other sectors along the River Dargle involved in construction works.

 

By now, it would appear that the concrete strengthening is complete around the railway bridge piers. Nice clean collars of concrete.

Don't know how much more work is necessary to restore the riverbed and ancillary items.

 

=========================================================

Between Bray Bridge and the Railway Bridge there was a wooden footbridge linking Ravenswell Road and the Seapoint Road, this bridge was built at the time of the railway coming to Bray.

It closed in 1870 and was removed shortly afterwards.

 

"The Little Book of Bray and Enniskerry" by Brian White.

==========================================================

 

The Irish Rail Bridge, Bray Harbour:

Phase 1 flood defence works to the Irish Rail bridge commenced in August 2016.

Phase 2 flood defence works will be completed during May to September 2017. This work is being undertaken directly by Irish Rail.

 

The work includes strengthening the integrity of the bridge by creating buttresses around the base of each pillar.

 

To do this they have to pile-drive sheets into the river bedrock.

The work is complicated by;

(a) the need not to damage or disturb in any way the actual bridge itself (Irish Rail train and DART carriages pass overhead on an hourly basis), (b) the confined spaces under the bridge, and (c) the twice-daily rising tides from Bray Harbour which spill upriver into the newly expanded basin.

 

The length of the Ravenswell Road is to be landscaped into a pedestrian 'experience', with plants, seating and viewing points created in the sea-wall. I think this might link up with a new road and pathway being constructed around to Little Bray.

 

Through the past few weeks/months, we can see the construction in and around the Irish Rail bridge, where new and extensive reinforced concrete collars are built up to support the existing support pillars/piers. The river and sea beds are also engineered to control the flow of tides and river flows.

 

For all the convenience, speed and efficiency that modern machinery offers, the scale and nature of this specialised construction works still requires the team of workers to get down and 'hands-on' with the river-bed and the associated fittings that go to shape the upgraded flood defence works.

A crew of astronauts explored the barren and dry landscape of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands in 2017 to simulate a planetary mission.

 

Lanzarote is one of the best areas on Earth to understand the geological interactions between volcanic activity and water – two key factors for the search of life.

 

Pangaea-X is a test campaign that brings together geology, high-tech survey equipment and space exploration. For five days in November 2017, the course mobilised 50 people, four space agencies and 18 organisations in five different locations.

 

Copyright: ESA–Alessio Romeo

Rewards in the high finance world of the world of crustaceans.

 

This image was shot from a Minolta Autocord TLR Medium Format camera using Fuji Acros 100 film, scanned by an Epson Perfection V600 and digitally rendered with Photoshop.

Painting and markings:

This was a tough decision: either an NMF finish (the natural first choice), an overall light grey anti-corrosive coat of paint, both with relatively colorful unit markings, or camouflage. The USAF’s earlier RF-80As carried a unique scheme in olive drab/neutral grey with a medium waterline, but that would look rather vintage on the F-94. I decided that some tactical camouflage would make most sense on this kind of aircraft and eventually settled for the USAF’s SEA scheme with reduced tactical markings, which – after some field tests and improvisations in Vietnam – became standardized and was officially introduced to USAF aircraft around 1965 as well as to ANG units.

 

Even though I had already built a camouflaged F-94 some time ago (a Hellenic aircraft in worn SEA colors), I settled for this route. The basic colors (FS 30219, 34227, 34279 and 36622) all came from Humbrol (118, 117, 116 and 28, respectively), and for the pattern I adapted the paint scheme of the USAF’s probably only T-33 in SEA colors: a trainer based on Iceland during the Seventies and available as a markings option in one of the Special Hobby 1:32 T-33 kits. The low waterline received a wavy shape, inspired by an early ANG RF-101 in SEA camouflage I came across in a book. The new SEA scheme was apparently applied with a lot of enthusiasm and properness when it was brand new, but this quickly vaned. As an extra, the wing tip tanks received black anti-glare sections on their inner faces and a black anti-glare panel was added in front of the windscreen - a decal from a T-33 aftermarket sheet. Beyond a black ink wash the model received some subtle panel post-shading, but rather to emphasize surface details than for serious weathering.

 

The cockpit became very dark grey (Revell 06) while the landing gear wells were kept in zinc chromate green primer (Humbrol 80, Grass Green), with bright red (Humbrol 60, Matt Red) cover interiors and struts and wheels in aluminum (Humbrol 56). The interior of the flaps and the ventral air brakes became red, too.

 

The decals/markings came from a Special Hobby 1:72 F-86H; there’s a dedicated ANG boxing of the kit that comes with an optional camouflaged aircraft of the NY ANG, the least unit to operate the “Sabre Hog” during the Seventies. Since this 138th TFS formerly operated the F-94A/B, it was a perfect option for the RF-94B! I just used a different Bu. No. code on the fin, taken from a PrintScale A/T-37 set, and most stencils were perocured from the scrap box.

After a final light treatment with graphite around the afterburner for a more metallic shine of the iron metallic (Revell 97) underneath, the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).

 

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the fourth week of April 2017.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

However, the soil-shifters are at it again.

Smaller operation than before, but a steady process of removing soil, shifting soil and reshaping the banks.

 

Said it before, and I'll say it again . . . . .

 

I call it the 'Biggest Sandpit/Playarea' in Wicklow, in Leinster, in Ireland.

The place is a mess. Aesthetically, the uneven flow to the ridges and terraces annoys me.

 

Early Spring, and an unusually dry period had re-introduced the dust clouds.

 

You don't have to be a certified civil engineer to figure out that there are quicker and more efficient ways to move the soil.

Using one excavator, a few dumper-trucks and a single bulldozer is a process not driven by time/cost.

If you 'really' had to complete this work quickly, you'd line up a few 'bigboy' bulldozers . . . . . and shift the soil in days, rather than weeks-months.

 

Obviously someone has a Plan.

So everyone works to the Plan.

Except that there have obviously been many Plans.

 

This 'hurdler on the ditch' simply comments on the piecemeal nature of this planning!

Coming up now on 5 years of this work.

   

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 1st week of November 2017.

I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

These images show the reclamation works now happening to restore the western end of The People's Park, adjacent to River Lane, which was once the major works compound and a site that proved of great inconvenience to the local residents for the best part of 6 years.

 

The works units are being shipped out, the machinery moved to other projects, the ground surface is being relaid, and a hoggin path is to be completed around the perimeter of the park.

  

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the 2nd week of July, 2017.

 

The levels of activity fluctuate along this stretch of the riverbank, and especially around the Irish Rail bridge, informed by the tides and priorities.

 

Since Summer 2016, this is where the heavy-duty engineering works have been taking place.

This is a section of the flood protection scheme that I have not covered in detail -- it's inconvenient for me to access, and others cover it much better.

 

Standing on the new riverside walkway alongside Seapoint Court, we could see construction activity sited along the Ravenswell Road, temporarily closed due to on-going works.

That was the site of the old Bray Golf Club -- hotly contested as a (potentially) poorly considered as a site for a shopping centre development complex, and still an area of ground that has to act as a flood plain in the event of tidal surges.

 

As well as raising a heightened flood protection wall, they've created an access ramp down to the riverside.

 

The area in the background, site of the old Bray Golf course, was both a works compound and vehicle route for the transportation of material to/from the other sectors along the River Dargle involved in construction works.

 

=========================================================

Between Bray Bridge and the Railway Bridge there was a wooden footbridge linking Ravenswell Road and the Seapoint Road, this bridge was built at the time of the railway coming to Bray.

It closed in 1870 and was removed shortly afterwards.

 

"The Little Book of Bray and Enniskerry" by Brian White.

==========================================================

 

The Irish Rail Bridge, Bray Harbour:

Phase 1 flood defence works to the Irish Rail bridge commenced in August 2016.

Phase 2 flood defence works will be completed during May to September 2017. This work is being undertaken directly by Irish Rail.

 

The work includes strengthening the integrity of the bridge by creating buttresses around the base of each pillar.

 

To do this they have to pile-drive sheets into the river bedrock.

The work is complicated by;

(a) the need not to damage or disturb in any way the actual bridge itself (Irish Rail train and DART carriages pass overhead on an hourly basis), (b) the confined spaces under the bridge, and (c) the twice-daily rising tides from Bray Harbour which spill upriver into the newly expanded basin.

 

The length of the Ravenswell Road is to be landscaped into a pedestrian 'experience', with plants, seating and viewing points created in the sea-wall. I think this might link up with a new road and pathway being constructed around to Little Bray.

 

Through the past few weeks/months, we can see the construction in and around the Irish Rail bridge, where new and extensive reinforced concrete collars are built up to support the existing support pillars/piers. The river and sea beds are also engineered to control the flow of tides and river flows.

 

For all the convenience, speed and efficiency that modern machinery offers, the scale and nature of this specialised construction works still requires the team of workers to get down and 'hands-on' with the river-bed and the associated fittings that go to shape the upgraded flood defence works.

This house in Piedmont, CA has a great color scheme.

 

319 BLAIR AVE

PIEDMONT CA 94611-4003

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

 

These images were taken during the 4th week of September 2017.

Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5+ years.

 

Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.

 

These images show the reclamation works now happening to restore the western end of The People's Park, adjacent to River Lane, which was once the major works compound and a site that proved of great inconvenience to the local residents for the best part of 6 years.

 

The works units are being shipped out, the machinery moved to other projects, the ground surface is being relaid, and a hoggin path is to be completed around the perimeter of the park.

  

URR 12, an MP15DC, shows off the new Transtar yellow and red paint scheme. This is replacing the classic URR blue that can be seen on the other end-cab switcher in the consist.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the last full week of August 2014.

 

Work is now on-going in this area of the The Slang/Dargle River, involving: -- Site preparation and mobilisation comprising sheetpile flood defence walls.

The site preparation required the removal of mature trees and vegetation along the riverbank. Section-by-section, long lengths of steel sheet piling are aligned within a frame, and then driven partially into the bedrock by crane-suspended hydraulic hammers.

 

The guys were now working to reinforce the riverside of the sheetpiling, buttressing with large boulders, and an overlay of smaller gravel.

Work also started on the other side of the river, again driving sheet piles.

A new access ramp down to the riverbed was carved out to accommodate the extra pile driving. Other sub-contractors are now engaged in securing the riverbanks+sheet piles by drilling and securing rock anchors.

River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.

These images were taken during the first week of July 2017.

 

Back in January/February 2017, we saw posters indicating public disquiet about these latest Council proposals, and the meetings called to discuss possible action.

I offered an observation at the time.

Matters have clearly moved onward now.

The work is happening.

 

This view, from the People's Park, looks across to the opposite side of the river, Glenwood Road.

============================================

 

Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) – Part XI.

Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) – Part 8.

 

Construct an Access Ramp into the River Dargle, and make the fencing to the People’s Park removable at the West end of the People’s Park, adjacent to River Lane, in the townland of Bray Commons, in the Municipal District of Bray.

 

The purpose of the proposal is to provide the means to access the River Dargle to maintain the River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme in the area of the People’s Park.

 

Background:

Wicklow County Council (and the former Bray Town Council) have almost completed the construction of the River Dargle Flood Defense Scheme. This Scheme consists of a number of interventions including deepening and widening the river, and constructing embankments and river walls. These interventions are designed so that a fluvial (river) event of 1% probability of exceedance will remain within the banks (or walls) of the River Dargle. In other words, that means that the likelihood of an event occurring that would breach the river walls (and embankments) is in excess of one in a hundred years. This is the standard that the OPW set for Flood Defense Schemes.

 

In addition to the civil engineering measures, Wicklow County Council have, in close consultation with Inland Fisheries Ireland, constructed weirs and narrow channels, mostly of large rocks or boulders, in order that the environment is as natural and attractive as possible for fish life. Some more in-river fish environment works will be done in Summer 2017, also in consultation with IFI.

 

It is an inescapable fact that sands, gravels and even cobbles will be moved by the river. Also the more water that flows in the river, the more material will be carried downstream. For years, Bray Town Council, (now Wicklow County Council) have removed gravels and other deposited material from the river to ensure the capacity of the river to carry water is maintained.

 

For Wicklow County Council (or the OPW) to get access to the River in the stretch from Fran O’Toole Bridge to the lower end of the Slang, it is essential that there be an adequate access ramp. The works described in this proposal would ensure the availability of such an access ramp.

It is intended that this new ramp would be accessible by driving along River Lane.

It is intended that the new ramp would only be used for essential maintenance of the River Dargle Flood Defense Scheme. While the frequency of use of the ramp is dependant on the frequency of significant flooding events, experience of Bray Town Council would suggest that it would be required less often than every two years. Also, the duration of use is unlikely to exceed one or two weeks in each case.

Works Outline

The works consist of

1. Diverting existing ESB cables that would be over the proposed ramp.

2. Constructing sheet pile and masonry walls, alongside the River

3. Constructing a concrete ramp into the River

4. Constructing a removable, masonry clad, reinforced concrete (RC) panel at the top of the ramp with removable railings in and around the ramp.

These works are shown on drawings number B1282.3_7000, B1282.3_7001, B1282.3_7003 and B1282.3_7004.

 

Timescale:

It is intended to carry out the construction work in Q2 and Q3 of 2017, subject to approval of the Part 8 procedure.

___________________________________

Marc Devereux

Senior Engineer

Wicklow County Council

20th December 2016