The Canal du Centre hydraulic lifts are a series of four hydraulic locks (hydraulic structures that allow concentrated differences in level in navigable canals to be raised or lowered by vessels in them) near the town of La Louvière in the province of Hainaut in south-western Belgium. Along a particular 7-kilometre stretch of the Canal du Centre, which connects the basins of the Meuse and Scheldt rivers, the water level is raised by 66.2 metres. To overcome this difference, the first 15.4-metre Houdeng-Goegnies lift was opened in 1888, and the other three lifts, each with a height of 16.93 metres, were opened in 1917. Although industrial constructions, they are considered monuments and were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
These boat lifts, designed by Edwin Clark of the British company Stansfield & Clark, date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally there were eight, but only four remain today. Since 2002, due to the construction of a new lift for commercial traffic, the four original lifts have been limited to recreational use.
The new 73 m high Strépy-Thieu funicular lift is located in the municipality of Le Roeulx in Hainaut. It was designed as part of the modernisation plan for the Canal du Centre to replace the old lifts and was the highest in the world when completed. Construction of the funicular began in 1982 and was completed in 2002 at an estimated cost of 160 million Euros (6.4 billion Belgian francs). Once operational, it has enabled traffic to increase from 256,000 tonnes in 2001 to 2,295,000 tonnes in 2006.
Continued in …are there giant hydraulic lifts for boats? (II)
