The Dunkirk-Scheldt Canal is a 189 km long series of historic canals, and the canalised river Scheldt that were substantially rebuilt from the mid-1950s up to ca. 1980, with some new sections, from
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Seine-Nord Europe Canal.
The route
The route is made up of nine historically distinct waterways, completed by three new lengths (diversion canals). Starting in the port of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Canal de Bourbourg
The Canal de Bourbourg is a 21 km long canal which connects the river Aa (France), Aa (near Bourbourg) to the inner harbours of the port oDunkerquein the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, in northern France. Fo ...
, which is used for a short length, then the Colme diversion canal leads to the Canal de la Colme, upgraded to Watten where it joins the river Aa from Watten to Arques. The route is then made up of the
Canal de Neuffossé
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
Aire-sur-la-Lys
Aire-sur-la-Lys (, literally ''Aire on the Lys''; vls, Ariën-aan-de-Leie) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.
Geography
The commune is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Saint-Omer, at the junction ...
(PK 113-93), the
Canal d'Aire
The Canal d'Aire is a French canal connecting the Canal de Neufossé in Aire-sur-la-Lys to the Canal de la Deûle in Bauvin. It is a segment of the Canal Dunkerque-Escaut.
See also
* List of canals in France
References
External links
Pr ...
from
Aire-sur-la-Lys
Aire-sur-la-Lys (, literally ''Aire on the Lys''; vls, Ariën-aan-de-Leie) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.
Geography
The commune is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Saint-Omer, at the junction ...
Canal de la Deûle
The Canal de la Deûle is one of the oldest canals in northern France, originally connecting the river Scarpe near Douai with the river Lys at Deûlémont near the Belgian border. Roughly half of its original length has been absorbed in the high ...
from Bauvin to Douai (PK 54-32), the Scarpe diversion canal bypassing the narrow river through the town of Douai (PK 32-24), and the
Canal de la Sensée
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
from Douai to the junction with the Scheldt at the
Bassin Rond
The Bassin Rond is a pond located beside the Canal de la Sensée as it joins the Canal de l'Escaut near Estrun, France.
Lakes of Hauts-de-France
Landforms of Nord (French department) ...
in Bouchain. KP 0 on the Liaison is Pont-Malin lock on the Escaut, 500m beyond this junction. The river Scheldt is a further 46 km from the lock to the border.
The Canal de la Deûle is also a high-capacity waterway, developed and named as a branch of the Liaison Dunkerque-Escaut from Bauvin to the river Lys, but current practice is to use the historic name (or just "Deûle") and to consider it as a separate waterway.
The section using the Canal de la Sensée comprises the junction with the Canal du Nord and the projected Seine-Nord Europe Canal, which would replace the former canal completed in 1965 to European Class II dimensions.