Wessem-Nederweert Canal is a canal connecting the Zuid-Willemsvaart at Nederweert to the Meuse near Wessem. Here it meets the wide Juliana Canal that connects to Maastricht.
Characteristics
Dimensions
The Wessem-Nederweert Canal is 17 km long, 2.5 meter deep, and varies in width from 30 to 50 meter. The maximum dimensions for ships on the canal are: length 96 m, beam 9,5 m, draft 2,10 m. This is CEMT IV with a draft limitation of 2.10 m.
Structures
Panheel Lock is the only lock on the canal. It is a double lock consisting of the original Panheel Lock, and a more recent larger lock next to it. The canal pound close to the Meuse has a much lower level than that west of Panheel Lock.
There are 9 bridges over the canal. The air draft of the bridges is about 5 meter.
Context and Plans
The South Limburg coal fields
During the Industrial Revolution, the Netherlands lacked iron as well as coal. In South Limburg, it had rich coal deposits, but almost none of these could be exploited due to problems with groundwater. After technical difficulties were overcome, coal mining quickly became a serious activity from 1893 onwards.
It was expected that coal mining would lead to industrialization of South Limburg. However, transporting bulk cargo to and from South Limburg was expensive, because it depended on rail transport, and the shallow Meuse. In the economic center of the Netherlands, the Limburg coal would be more expensive than German coal, because the latter was transported at very low cost by large ships that descended the Rhine.
Canalization of the Meuse
The plans that led to improving the Meuse for shipping were known as the Canalization of the Meuse . The first plans for the Meuse consisted of dredging and removing all kind of obstacles. North of Maasbracht canalization was thought to be an effective solution. Between Maastricht and Maasbracht a lateral canal was designed in 1913. This design had locks suitable for a Rhine ship of 2,000 tons, with a length of 200 m, beam of 12 m and draft of 2.80 m.
In 1914 the canalization between Maasbracht and Grave was brought on the government budget. Before this was granted, an investigation was done whether it would not be cheaper to dig a canal from Maasbracht to the Zuid-Willemsvaart in combination with an upgrade of the latter. This alternative proved more expensive, but it was found that the construction of a (smaller) canal from Wessem to Nederweert would be useful. It would benefit North-Brabant and Zeeland, and while the canalization was in progress, ships of up to 400 ton could transport coal via the Zuid-Willemsvaart, and the Wilhelmina Canal. When the latter was ready, the Wessem-Nederweert Canal would shorten the route from Maasbracht to Tilburg from 220 km to 90 km.
Final plan
In 1917 the design of the Wessem-Nederweert Canal was ready, and a disappropriation law was brought to parliament. The canal would run from Wessem to Nederweert, where it met the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Near the Meuse Panheel Lock would control the water level in the canal. On the Zuid-Willemsvaart, locks 14 and 15 would be demolished. A new Lock 15 would be built on the Zuid-Willemsvaart just upstream of the junction with the Wessem-Nederweert Canal. Another lock was planned at the start of the Noordervaart. These three locks were planned to get a lock chamber of 65 m long, a passage width of 7.50 m, and a depth of 2.50 m. The canal itself would be 30 m wide at the surface. A the bottom it would be 16 m wide, and deep 2.70 m in the center, and 2.50 m at the edges. Air draft for the fixed bridges would be 5.20 m. The disappropriation did take a later expansion to 2,000 tons ships into account.
In summer, the Meuse was very dry, because Belgium used most of its water in irrigation projects. It was therefore necessary to save water. The biggest loss of water on the canal was caused by the operation of the locks. Therefore, Panheel Lock would get storage basins, which reduced its water consumption by 60%, leaving a projected average loss of 0.54 m3/s. From the air, this led to a very typical view of a lock hemmed in by two basins.
History
Construction
After preliminary work, construction of the Wessem-Nederweert Canal got up to steam in 1918. In 1925, the work of actually digging the canal was started. On 2 April 1928 the canal was opened for shipping.