At the invitation of the Nord-Pas de Calais regional office of Voies navigables de France (VNF), the Seine-Scheldt EEIG held its monthly meeting on 17 September at the lock site in Quesnoy-sur-Deûle (Nord).
After the meeting, which provided an opportunity to take stock of current issues, representatives of the 4 operators responsible for the development of Europe’s largest wide-gauge river network (DVW, SPW, SCSNE, VNF) visited the site to see the progress of work to extend the lock, which will start in autumn 2023 and is scheduled to take 3 years to complete.
Of the 16 large-gauge locks on the Nord-Pas de Calais river network, the Quesnoy-sur-Deûle lock is the only one limited to 110 metres, creating a bottleneck on the route. Its lengthening to 144 metres will allow the passage of Va+ class boats (135 metres). The works also include the construction of two fish passes upstream and downstream of the dam (including an eel ramp) and the installation of a pumping station. The extended lock and all the associated works will be brought into service by the end of 2025.
The total cost of the €43m project is being funded by the European Union (CEF 1 and 2) and the Hauts-de-France Region (CPER).
