Seine-Nord Europe Canal

The '''Seine-Nord Europe Canal''' is a high capacity [[canal]] {{as of|2009|alt=currently}} in development, with preliminary works set to begin in 2010, with major construction from 2012 and due to open in 2016. It is projected to begin from the [[Oise River]] at [[Janville, Oise]], north of [[Compiègne]], to the [[Canal Dunkerque-Escaut]], east of [[Arleux]]. The net effect will be to considerably expand trade flows in a fuel-efficient and ecologically friendly manner{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} while connecting to surrounding northern European countries such as [[Belgium]], [[Germany]] and the [[Netherlands]]. The canal will be the French section of the Seine-Escaut (Scheldt) European link. It will run 106 km from [[Janville, Oise|Janville]], north of [[Compiègne]], to the [[Canal Dunkerque-Escaut]], crossing the regions of [[Picardy]] and [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]]. The 105-kilometre-long canal will connect the [[Seine]] and [[Scheldt]] rivers and facilitate the transport of goods through inland waterways. When the new Seine Nord connection is ready, it will allow large vessels to transport goods between the [[Seine]] river (and the Paris area) and the ports of [[Dunkerque]], [[Antwerp]], and [[Rotterdam]], or further into Europe. The canal will replace the [[Canal de Saint-Quentin]] and the current [[Canal du Nord]], increasing maximum barge capacity from 650 to 4400 tonnes. The canal will include several large structures, including seven locks and three aqueducts: two over the A29 and A26 autoroutes, and one 1330 metres long over the [[Somme (river)|Somme]]. The project’s budget will be [[euro|€]]4.2 billion, financed by the [[European Union]], the French government, local regional governments and through [[public-private partnerships]]. ==Environmental impact== According to Nicolas Bour, the project leader of the Seine-Nord Europe Mission, "1500 containers unloaded in a maritime port equal 1000 trucks on the road or 25 fully loaded goods trains, but only 5 vessels."{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} ==External links== *[http://www.seine-nord-europe.com Official project website] *[http://www.vnf.fr/sne/IMG/pdf/Rotterdam0212GP-_BD_general.pdf VNF presentation slides] *[http://www.tagweb.co.uk/french-waterways/seine-nord.html French waterways context] {{coord missing|France}}