Balfour Beatty welcomes Her Majesty The Queen to the Queen Elizabeth II Canal
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, alongside Scottish Canals, welcomed Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to the site of its completed Helix Canal project in Grangemouth, Scotland.
Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited the canal to mark the official naming of the development, the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, which has seen over 2.5 million visitors since it was opened in 2014.
In 2012, Balfour Beatty was charged with the £13 million design and construction work for the extension of the Helix canal, to mitigate tidal constraints on boats entering from the River Carron. Construction of the 900 metre sheet piled extension included the creation of an inland and tidal sea lock, the erection of two static bridges and the piled foundations necessary to support the world-renowned Kelpie structures.
Hector Macaulay, Balfour Beatty’s Regional Managing Director for Scotland, said: “It was an honour to welcome Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness to the official naming ceremony of the Helix Canal today. During the design and construction phase, our highly skilled team provided numerous innovative engineering solutions including the build of a new tidal sea lock allowing for improved access to the Central Scotland Canal network, and the erection of a static bridge under the M9 motorway. These solutions enabled the successful delivery of what has become one of Scotland’s most treasured attractions.”
