The original section of the canal through this area was destroyed when the A590 dual carriageway was constructed in the 1970s. The canal passed through a narrow ridge in the Hincaster Tunnel to the south and continued north to Kendal along the west side of the ridge. The new road was constructed through the same ridge in a deep cutting which removed some 500 metres of the canal. The name ‘Howard’ comes from the typical Lancaster Canal accommodation bridge which was removed during the road construction

Previous studies have looked at the various options for crossing this highway or alternative routes to avoid it, but it has been generally concluded that the preferred option is to cross the carriageway via an aqueduct on a similar line to that of the original canal.

Owing to the local topography and line of the A590 the aqueduct will need to be constructed on a 30 degree skew angle to the road. The ground on the eastern side of the A590 is at a suitable level to carry the canal where the aqueduct will meet it. The east end of the aqueduct will be approximately on the original line of the canal. Conversely the ground on the western side is significantly lower at this point and falling away toward the north and west. It will be necessary to construct a large embankment to carry the canal up to the aqueduct on this west side and also provide a turning bay to allow boats to navigate into the aqueduct structure.

It is proposed that the aqueduct will comprise a fabricated steel trough with a 5.0 metre waterway. The 90 metres long aqueduct will be formed in three spans carried on two reinforced concrete abutments and two piers all clad in local stone. The aqueduct will carry a reduced width (1.5m) towpath on one side.

The trough will be some 10 metres above the road at this point and will form a significant feature across the A590 – ‘The Gateway to the Lakes’?

 View Map to see where the Howards Aqueduct is on the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal.