Side channel in the Loire

Physical characteristics

Side channel with the gauge Freycinet skirting the the Loire.

196,061 kilometers length, it comprises 37 locks and connects the towns of Digoin (71) and of Briare (45). These figures do not include/understand its many junctions and their locks.

It begins in the middle of the town of Digoin, with the Campionnet Port, where it is connected to the Canal of the Center which, joined to him the the Saone with Châlon-sur-saône, and thus the basin of the the Rhone.
Then it crosses the Loire by a large tubular bridge, and quickly accommodates on its left bank, in Chavane, the Canal of Roanne with Digoin which is its prolongation towards the south.

To Decize, important base of river tourism, a junction passing by the bed of the river gives access to the Canal of the Resident of Nevers.

Little before crossing the To combine by means of the Tubular bridge of Guétin, a junction makes it possible to join Nevers.
Shortly after the tubular bridge and its double lock, the channel receives on its left water Allier via the drain of Lorraine (or of Apremont) which comprises a curious round lock at its origin, 3 km upstream, and was navigable. On its line, the channel receives shortly after another junction by which the boats could go to charge in Fourchambault, on other bank of the Loire.

With Marseilles-lès-Aubigny, old city important batelière, is still seen the old mouth of the Canal of Berry, displaced in 1955.
Après being last with the foot of the hill of Sancerre, where another junction enables him to join the Loire, the channel arrives at the Châtillon-on-Loire where it was formerly to cross the Loire in its reads-even, between two dams. Now it follows a less perilous layout which brings it to Briare by the large tubular bridge of the same name.

Lastly, after two kilometers and an ultimate tubular bridge on Trézée in Cognardière, it is connected to the channel of Briare. By this one and that of the Loing which prolongs it, the boat can carry on its road as far as the Seine.

Altitude in Digoin: 235m
Altitude in Briare: 135m

Fall average of the locks: 2,70m

Short history

Concessionary company: Company of the Four Channels until 1860, then repurchase by the State. Engineers: Julien, Lejeune, Vigorous. Beginning of work: 1827. Opening of the channel in 1838 (source: A channel… of the channels, Picardy editor).

Freycinet modernization: Leonce-Abel Mazoyer of 1890 to 1896. This modernization is completed with the startup of the Pont-canal of Briare in September 1896.

Remarkable works

The Latéral channel in the Loire includes/understands some of the most famous works of the water way and in particular the large metal tubular bridge of Briare, which held until 2003 the European record length in its category.

Large tubular bridges of Digoin (on the Loire), of Guétin (on Combining it) and of Briare (on the Loire)
more modest Tubular bridges: Molinet, Besbre, Abron and Acolin, Cognardière.
round Lock of Lorraine on the junction éponyme
Old passage in the Loire of the Châtillon-on-Loire, with classified works MH.

Remarks

In the beginning, the channel started to 4 km upstream of Digoin in the valley of Bourbince, just with the upstream of lock 27 of the channel of the Center (disappeared since), " Paradis". The kilometric demarcation always leaves this point, whereas the first 4 kilometers of the channel were given to the channel of the Center (either between the Paradise and the Campionnet Port). In the same way, at the other end, it arrived in the middle of Briare, just with the upstream of the lock of Baraban of the channel of Briare. The changes are explained in-depth in the site Projet Babel quoted in external bonds.

Food system

Arroux by the drain éponyme, and the channel of the Center
the Loire by the channel of Roanne with Digoin
Besbre with Septfonds
Abron and Acolin with the downstream of Decize
Collâtre
To combine It with Lorraine the
the brook of the Bushels with Ménétréol
the last level benefits from the food system of the channel of Briare

Ports

the most important Ports: Decize, Nevers, Marseilles-lès-Aubigny, the Vault-Montlinard, Fouchards, Saint-Thibault, Briare.
Marinas or halts: Molinet, Coulanges, Pierrefitte, Diou, Beaulon, Decize, Fleury, Nevers, Plagny, Guétin, Course-the-Bars, Marseilles-lès-Aubigny, the Vault-Montlinard, Herry, Saint-Thibault, Beaulieu, the Châtillon-on-Loire, Briare

Ménétréol-under-Sancerre: The small Marina, located between the locks of Bannay and Thauvenay, is open of Easter to November. He proposes 8 places for boats and of the services (points of water, of electricity, medical and dustbins) to the yachtmen.
Saint-Satur: Pleasure and commercial port (Saint-Thibault), located between the locks of Bannay and Thauvenay.
Briare : old commercial port, with conveniences, repair shop and hiring of boats.

External bonds

Babel Project: the Side channel in the Loire
Internet site of the Friends of the Side Channel in the Loire AMICALL

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