New weir and lock complex on Leie inaugurated

Chris Danckaerts, De Vlaamse Waterweg: “On the one hand, there is the lock here, which is 280 meters long and 16 meters wide. It serves to lock those larger ships that we want to sail on the Leie in the future, in order to be able to lock them. On the other hand, you have the weir complex there. That was in need of renovation. We set up a new superstructure there.”

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Custom lock

This weir regulates the water level on the Leie. There was a technical problem there last week, as a result of which the water level of the river had dropped in no time. The new lock then, which has six lock doors of 40 tons each. And above all: it is a tailor-made lock. “There are intermediate doors in between. As a result, we can choose to use that lock over the full length if there are enough ships present. If there are smaller ships, we can work with those middle doors, which reduces water consumption.”

The larger type of barge that will soon also be able to navigate the Leie will be able to replace 220 trucks in one go. The entire project will cost 70 million euros. Although it is not ready yet: they will not really use the weir until after the summer.