Scheldt–Rhine Canal

Scheldt-Rhine Canal
Scheldt-Rhine Canal
	The Scheldt-Rhine canal
Specifications
Length	32–35 km (20–22 mi)
History
Construction began	1963
Date completed	1975
Geography
Start point	Port of Antwerp, Belgium
End point	Volkerak at Rhine-Meuse Delta, Netherlands

The Scheldt–Rhine Canal (Schelde-Rijnkanaal) in Belgium and the Netherlands connects Antwerp with the Volkerak, and thereby the Scheldt with the Rhine.^[1]

Route[]

The canal starts close to the Scheldt river, at the port of Antwerp, and generally runs north. After it passes the Dutch-Belgian border, it serves as the border between the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Zeeland. Just north of the international border ships have to pass the [nl] to enter the lower part of the canal. Just north of the sluices the canal enters the artificial [nl] and leaves this lake again as a canalised section of the former Eendracht strait, before terminating in the Volkerak estuary. Here, the [nl] provide access to the Rhine-Meuse Delta and the port of Rotterdam.

History[]

During the 1920s the Belgian government demanded a replacement for the Canal through Zuid-Beveland, to keep the port of Antwerp accessible for the lucrative Rhine trade. According to the original plan, the new canal was supposed to connect Antwerp directly to Moerdijk on the Hollands Diep, but after the Second World War and the North Sea flood of 1953 the Dutch government decided that the new canal should be part of the Delta Works and proposed a more westerly route, in fact it would take the same route as the ancient Striene river. After the Belgian government agreed in 1963, work on the canal began.

In order to keep the canal free of tides, two dams were built to separate the tidal Oosterschelde from the Scheldt-Rhine canal. These are the Oesterdam (resulting in the creation of the Zoommeer) and the Philipsdam (that turned the Volkerak estuary into a freshwater lake).

Bridges[]

It crosses the east of Zuid-Beveland, where it is crossed by a railroad bridge (between the stations Rilland-Bath on the west and Bergen op Zoom on the east) and three road bridges, and along Tholen, where it is spanned by three road bridges.

References[]

^ "Schelde-Rijnkanaal" (in Dutch). Rijkswaterstaat. Archived from the original on 2014-10-27.

Map^{[dead link]} Coordinates: 51°27′07″N 4°13′48″E / 51.452°N 4.23°E / 51.452; 4.23

[1] "Schelde-Rijnkanaal" (in Dutch). Rijkswaterstaat. Archived from the original on 2014-10-27.

[1]

hide v Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta
Rhine Rijn Rhin	Current distributaries Waal Nederrijn IJssel Lek Merwede Boven Merwede Nieuwe Merwede Beneden Merwede Oude Maas Dordtsche Kil Noord Nieuwe Maas Het Scheur Nieuwe Waterweg Former distributaries Kromme Rijn Leidse Rijn Oude Rijn Hollandse IJssel Vecht Waaltje Brielse Maas Spui Current estuaries Nieuwe Waterweg IJsselmeer Former estuaries Hollands Diep Haringvliet Volkerak Krammer Grevelingen Keeten-Mastgat Oosterschelde Associated canals Bijlands Kanaal Pannerdens Kanaal Amsterdam–Rhine Canal Vaartse Rijn Nieuwe Merwede Nieuwe Waterweg Scheldt–Rhine Canal Maas–Waal Canal
Meuse Maas	Current distributaries Bergse Maas Amer Former distributaries Oude Maasje Afgedamde Maas Merwede Boven Merwede Beneden Merwede Oude Maas Dordtsche Kil Noord Nieuwe Maas Het Scheur Nieuwe Waterweg Current estuaries Former estuaries Hollands Diep Haringvliet Volkerak Krammer Grevelingen Keeten-Mastgat Oosterschelde Associated canals Heusden Canal Bergse Maas Maas–Waal Canal
Scheldt Schelde Escaut	Current distributaries Western Scheldt Former distributaries Oosterschelde Eendracht Current estuaries Western Scheldt Former estuaries Oosterschelde Krammer Grevelingen Associated canals Scheldt–Rhine Canal Canal through Walcheren
Other rivers (directly draining into the delta)	Linge Mark Donge Rotte Oude IJssel
Islands and Peninsulas	Rozenburg IJsselmonde Het Eiland van Dordt Voorne and Putten Hoeksche Waard Tiengemeten Goeree-Overflakkee Schouwen-Duiveland Tholen Sint Philipsland Walcheren Noord-Beveland Zuid-Beveland
Towns	Rotterdam Antwerp Dordrecht Bergen-op-Zoom Schiedam Vlissingen Vlaardingen Middelburg Spijkenisse
Other topics	Delta Works Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe St. Elizabeth's flood (1421) St. Felix's Flood All Saints' Flood (1570)