Lekkanal

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Lekkanal
Course of the Lek Canal

Course of the Lek Canal

location Utrecht Province (Netherlands)
length 4 km
Built 1938
Expanded 2019
class Vb
Beginning Amsterdam-Rhine Canal
The End Lek at Nieuwegein
Descent structures 3 locks
Ports Ijmuiden, Beverwijk, Amsterdam
Competent authority Rijkswaterstaat
Water level −0.40 m NAP
Het nieuwe Sluispad naar de Beatrixsluis in Vreeswijk.jpg
north of the locks after widening

The Lek Canal is a shipping canal in the Dutch province of Utrecht . East of the Merwede Canal and the city of Nieuwegein , it connects the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal with the Lek River over a length of four kilometers . For inland shipping, the Lek Canal is a shortcut to the route from the North Sea Canal with the Port of Amsterdam to Rotterdam .

Due to the direct connection to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, the Lek Canal has the same water level , which is significantly lower than the water level in the Lek. The Princess Beatrix locks , which are located about one kilometer north of the mouth of the Lek, form the end of the canal . When the canal was opened in 1938, the lock complex consisted of two locks, each 225 meters long and 18 meters wide. The increase in shipping traffic made it necessary to add another lock to the complex. The new lock with a length of 275 meters is expected to go into operation in early 2020. At the same time as the new building, the existing complex was completely renovated. Due to the location of the large lock next to the two old locks, it was also necessary to widen the canal section, so that it could be adapted to the traffic volume.

Name of the lock Year of
commissioning		 Usable length
[meters]		 Width
[meters]		 Drilling depth
[meter]
Princess Beatrix Lock 1 1938 225 18th 18.30
Princess Beatrix Lock 2 1938 225 18th 13
Princess Beatrix lock new 2019 275 25th 18th

Two bridges lead over the Lek Canal, one east of Plettenburg and one east of Vreeswijk, both districts of Nieuwegein.

At the Lek Canal there is an important extraction point for fresh water, which is freed of dirt and ingredients in a treatment plant. This water is then pumped to the dunes of the Amsterdam water supply ( Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen ) and the dunes of the North Holland dune reserve . Targeted infiltration takes place there in order to obtain raw water for drinking water treatment .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Characteristic values ​​for the Lek Canal on rijkswaterstaat.nl (Dutch)
  2. ↑ The first ships sail on ad.nl (Dutch) in February

Coordinates: 52 ° 1 '  N , 5 ° 7'  E