THE SHIPLIFT AT STREPY-THIEU, CANAL DU CENTER, BELGIUM

The Strepy-Thieu boat lift is part of the 27 km Canal du Centre. The m odernization of the Canal du Centre was planned as part of the program me to enlarge the capacity of the major waterways in the country to 13 50 t. A new construction will replace the two locks and give the four hydraulic lifts a capacity of 300 t. Within the Belgian network, the C anal du Centre and its lift will make it possible to cross the crest s eparating the Scheldt and Meuse basins. The Canal du Centre integrates the European inland waterways, as it is located on a transnational li ne running north-south in the industrial Scheldt-Meuse-Rhine delta. Th e works included in the framework contract include a lift to overcome the change in altitude two canal bridges to the lift the earthworks (4 million m(3)); removal and fill rebuilding of the canal gutter upstre am and down stream of the lift and the canal bridge safety devices on the filled section to allow for immediate isolation should the dike gi ve away, This single construction includes two vertical cable lifts.