Canal de Neufossé

Connection between Canal d' Aire and Aa

The Canal de Neuffossé (sometimes also: Canal de Neufossé ) is a French Ship Canal, which runs in the departments of Nord and Pas -de- Calais, in the Nord -Pas -de -Calais. He is now part of the Great shipping lane Dunkirk -Scheldt.

Geography

The canal connects the rivers Leie (franz: Lys) and Aa and place in the channelized lower reaches of the Aa a continuation towards Dunkirk. It is a connecting channel with a height difference of about 17 meters.

Coordinates

  • Source of the canal: 50 ° 38 '42 " N, 2 ° 24' 38 " O50.6452.4105555555556Koordinaten: 50 ° 38 '42 " N, 2 ° 24' 38" E
  • Endpoint of the channel: 50 ° 46 ' 25 " N, 2 ° 15 ' 48" O50.7736111111112.2633333333333

Development and technical infrastructure

It starts at Aire -sur -la- Lys, at the junction of the Leie channelized and is the continuation of the ending there Canal d' Aire. The channel runs generally northwest direction and reached at Arques the upper reaches of the Aa, which is, however, diverted for water supply of the old canal and the city port of Saint- Omer. The new channel section ( Dérivation de Saint- Omer ) bypasses the town of Saint -Omer on the east by the foothills of the Regional Natural Park of Caps et Marais d' Opale and subsequently hits back together with the old channel. Here ends the Canal de Neuffossé and goes into the channelized portion of the Aa, which is the continuation of the bulk shipping lane towards Dunkirk. The Canal de Neuffossé is approximately 20 km long and has two lock ( Fontinettes and Flandres ) that are sized up to 3,000 tons for pushing units with a loading capacity.

History

Initial planning and concepts for this channel goes back to the year 1053. Seriously, the canal was begun in 1753, will commission the 1774th Originally built in Freycinet format locks were rebuilt in the 1960s and 1970s, straightened, widened, deepened and integrated into the Großschifffahrtsweg Dunkirk -Scheldt. From the old route you can still see the abandoned city crossings eg in Aire -sur -la -Lys and Saint- Omer. Particularly interesting is the lock Fontinettes is at Arques: here the difference in height of about 13 meters with a lock staircase of five locks was originally overcome before you this 1887 the ship lift Les Fontinettes, a technical masterpiece at the time, replaced. When removing the large ships path, the boat lift was taken out of service in 1967 and replaced by a modern lock.

Places on the canal

  • Aire -sur -la -Lys
  • Blaringhem
  • Wardrecques
  • Arques
  • Saint- Omer

Attractions

  • Schiffshebewerk Les Fontinettes
France Aire-sur-la-Lys Aa River (France)
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