Territory of Artois Cambresis

The Canal in consultation with the territory

The project is being developed in partnership with the local community. For example, the location of storage sites for excess materials from the earthworks was the subject of extensive consultation with the municipalities and the agricultural sector. These sites will primarily be returned to farmers after being prepared to restore good agricultural quality.

The Canal and the environment

Special attention is being paid to the environment : a large wildlife crossing will be created in Hermies, numerous water outlets will be provided for animals… Several sites will be the subject of ecological developments, including the Sensée valley, the Agache marsh and the Bois Durieux.

Find out more about Canal crossings

Emblematic works

Emblematic structures will mark the arrival of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal:

The A26 Canal Bridge, in the Marquion-Bourlon sector, where river convoys will pass over the motorway.
The locks of Marquion-Bourlon and Oisy-le-Verger, exceptional for their modernity. With a height of 25,71 and 25 meters respectively, they will be the most spectacular on the Canal and the highest in Europe.

The Canal and the development of the territory

The Canal will also contribute to the development of the territory:

The Inner Port of Marquion-Cambrai will be created under the project management of the Hauts-de-France Region, the Osartis-Marquion Community of Communes and the Cambrai Agglomeration Community. 156 hectares will be developed as an extension of the E-Valley logistics park.
The west bank of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will host a path accessible to cyclists and pedestrians, promoting mobility and leisure activities.

Learn more about the Canal’s inland ports

The lock of Oisy-le-Verger can be visited by the public, giving a new tourist dimension to the territory. 195 meters long, 12,5 meters wide and allowing boats to cross a drop of 25 meters, it is one of the 3 locks selected, on the route of the Canal, to offer a unique visitor experience. The Oisy-le-Verger site will include, at the very least, a freely accessible belvedere allowing a 360° view of its immediate environment and the Aubigny marshes.
Discussions and technical exchanges are continuing with tourism and regional stakeholders to enrich this future visitor experience.

Find out more about the Canal locks

Everything you need to know about the Canal in Artois and Cambrésis

Document

Added July 28, 2023 - Updated June 4, 2024

Information booklet on the territory of Artois-Cambrésis

5.81 MB

The future of the Canal du Nord

Between lock no. 2 at Marquion and the Sensée canal, the Canal du Nord will remain open to navigation, thus allowing the continuity of activity of the current port of Marquion.

South of Marquion, it will no longer be navigable.

The calendar in Artois-Cambrésis

Following the granting of environmental authorization in 2024, the project continues to gain momentum in Artois and Cambrésis.

In parallel with preventive archaeology operations and pyrotechnic soil decontamination, network operators have begun the first works to divert their infrastructure.

Several construction sites, which are all markers of the progress of the project in the territory, have been completed such as the quay-works of Aubencheul-au-Bac, others are underway with the completion of the earthworks of the lock of Oisy-le-Verger, the construction of the viaduct of the A2 motorway in Ytres as well as the reinforcement work of the quay of Havrincourt.

The year 2026 marks a new stage in Artois and Cambrésis, with the launch of construction work on the Oisy-le-Verger lock, the second highest lock on the Canal route.

The main works will begin in the second half of 2027.

Learn more about the project timeline

The territories are also carriers of projects for the enhancement of the waterway

Would you like to participate in development projects on board the Seine-Nord Europe Canal? Find out about the “territorial projects approach”!

The Territorial Projects Approach