Agen aqueduct

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Pont-canal d'Agen


caption= The Agen Aqueduct
official_name=
carries= Canal de Garonne
crosses=
locale= Agen
maint=
id=
design= Masonry Arch
mainspan=
length= 539m
width= 12.48m
height= 10m
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open= 1849
closed=
coordinates= coord|44|12|28|N|00|36|19|E|

The Agen Aqueduct is an aqueduct over the Garonne which carries the canal de Garonne, also known as the canal latéral à la Garonne. It is located in the Agen commune, part of the Lot-et-Garonne department in the Aquitaine region of France.

Description

The aqueduct is a dressed stone masonry structure consisting of 23 arches, each of 20m span, which at the time of its completion was the longest navigable aqueduct in France. It has a length of 539 metres, a width of 12.48m and a canal width of 8.82m.cite web|url=http://www.canal-du-midi.org/en/canal/the_course/art_structures/agen_aqueduct.aspx|title=Agen Aqueduct]

The width of the channel is insufficient to allow boats to pass each other whilst on the aqueduct. Boats must wait for oncoming traffic to clear the aqueduct before crossing. There is a lock and a canal basin downstream, and a canal basin upstream, of the aqueduct.

History

The aqueduct was built entirely of stone blocks from Quercy, under the direction of the engineer Jean-Baptiste de Baudre. On 25th August 1839 the Duc d'Orléans (Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans) laid the first stone. In 1841 the building of the Bordeaux to Toulouse railway interrupted work on the canal and the aqueduct was rented to farmers for use as a short cut avoiding the Bridge of Agen. The tolls however, were too high to make this idea work. On the 5th May 1846 the work was ordered to resume by a vote in favour of a government act. The aqueduct finally came into service in 1849.cite web|url=http://www.jedecouvrelafrance.com/f-4911.lot-et-garonne-pont-canal-agen.html|title=Pont-canal d'Agen]

References

ee also

* Montech water slope
* canal de Garonne
* Agen

External links

* [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont-canal_d%27Agen The French article from which this article was translated]
* [http://www.canal-du-midi.org/en/canal/the_course/art_structures/agen_aqueduct.aspx Pont-canal d'Agen]
*
* [http://www.jedecouvrelafrance.com/f-4911.lot-et-garonne-pont-canal-agen.html Pont-canal d'Agen, in French]