- Briare aqueduct
Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Pont-canal de Briare
caption= The Briare Aqueduct
official_name=
carries= Canal latéral à la Loire
crosses=
locale=Briare
maint=
id=
design= Steel channel with masonry piers
mainspan=
length= 662m
width= 11.5m
height=
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open= 1896
closed=
coordinates= coord|47|37|52|N|2|44|10|E|The Briare Aqueduct carries the
Canal latéral à la Loire over the Loire on its journey to theSeine in France. It does not, as is commonly believed, form part of the canal de Briare.The Briare
aqueduct nearChâtillon-sur-Loire was, for a long time, the longest steel canal aqueduct in the world. The aqueduct is 662mcite book |last= Hadfield|first= Charles |title= World Canals|origdate= |edition= First|date= 1986|publisher= David & Charles|isbn= 0-7153-8555-0] long and lost its title of longest aqueduct to that at Magdeburg which crosses theElbe and is 918m long. The aqueduct was designed by the engineersLéonce-Abel Mazoyer and Charles Sigault. The masonry abutments and piers were completed between 1890 and 1896 byGustave Eiffel and the steel channel was completed by Daydé & Pillé ofCreil . The aqueduct was inaugurated on16 September ,1896 with the crossing of the boat "Aristide", belonging to Ernest Guingamp. It allowed the development of transport to theFreycinet gauge between the Loire and Seine, and is a registered historic monument in France.The channel is entirely metal bordered with a tow path and a line of standard lamps on either side. Each end is marked by two ornamental columns in imitation of the
Pont Alexandre III inParis . The channel is 6 metres wide and 2.2m deep allowing boats with a 1.8m draught to cross. The channel is steel, the rest of the structure is masonry.References
Further reading
*cite book |last= Hadfield|first= Charles |title= World Canals|origdate= |edition= First|date= 1986|publisher= David & Charles|isbn= 0-7153-8555-0
External links
* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont-canal_de_Briare The French article from which this article was translated]
* [http://www.coeur-de-france.com/briare-marine2.html Coeur-de-france.com, in French]
* [http://perso.wanadoo.fr/ligerien.christian/CONSTRUCTION%20CANAL%20BRIARE.htm Construction of the Briare Canal and the aqueduct, in French]
*
* [http://projetbabel.org/fluvial/rica_loire-lateral-canal.htm Le canal Latéral à la Loire, in French]
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