Freycinet gauge

The Freycinet gauge ( _fr. gabarit Freycinet) is a standard governing the dimensions of the locks of some canals, put in place as a result of a law passed during the tenure of Charles de Freycinet as prime minister of France, dating from 5th August 1879.The law required the size of lock chambers to be increased to a length of 39 m, a width 5.2 m and a minimum water depth of 2.2m, allowing 300 to 350 tonne barges to pass through.cite web|url= http://www.nievre.equipement.gouv.fr/Voies_navigables/patrimoine/page_Briare3.htm#Freycinet|title= Freycinet Gauge] Consequently boats and barges such as the péniche built to the Freycinet gauge could not exceed 38.5m in length, 5.05m in breadth and a draught of 1.8m. Bridges and other structures built across the canals are required to provide 3.7m of clearance.cite book|title = World Canals|author=Charles Hadfield] In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries many French canals were modernised to conform to the Freycinet standard. The Freycinet gauge corresponds to the European class I gauge. In France 5,800km of navigable waterways corresponded to the Freycinet gauge in 2001 accounting for 23% of water borne traffic.

European Classification

References

External links

* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabarit_Freycinet The French article from which this article was translated]