€250 million to improve Brussels-Charleroi canal

The government of Flanders is investing €250 million in the Brussels-Charleroi canal, including €90 million on the section that passes through the de Rand, or Flemish periphery around Brussels, between Drogenbos and Beersel.

“To make the canal more accessible for ships up to 1,350 tonnes, two locks will be enlarged and four bridges raised between Drogenbos and Beersel,” explained Tom Dehaene, chair of the Waterways and Sea Canal agency, which is carrying out the work. “In some places, the canal will be made wider and deeper, so that two large ships can pass each other.”

Four new bridges will be built in Halle. The entire package is intended to encourage more use of inland waterways for the transport of goods, helping to take lorries off the roads and offering an alternative to paying road tolls.

“According to a recent study, road traffic accounts for 46% of goods traffic in the Benelux, while waterways make up only 17.4%,” Flemish mobility minister Ben Weyts said at the press conference announcing the plans. “That’s an imbalance, especially when you see the traffic jams on our roads and the ill effects on the environment, road safety, infrastructure and economy.”

The canal was built in 1830 as a way of transporting coal from the mines of Wallonia to the capital. Although works have been carried out since then, the agency decided the existing infrastructure no longer met the demands of a modern water-based logistics industry.

The investments should also enhance the view of the canal and improve quality of life in the area. Other innovations include a cycle highway, a canal park and marina in Beersel and a new pedestrian bridge close to Ruisbroek train station.

Photo: The bridge over the Brussels-Charleroi canal at Halle. ©RIS Vlaanderen