The Canal latéral à l'Aisne connects the River Aisne, 15 kilometres east of Soissons to the Canal des Ardennes in the west. Along its 51 kilometre length it has junctions with the Canal de l'Aisne à la Marne at Berry-au-Bac and the Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne at Bourg-en-Comin.
The 51 kilometre long canal only has eight locks and they are all automatically operated. Locks 1 and 2 are operated by twisting a pole 100 metres before the lock. The other locks are operated by using a télécommande which is given to the boater when they join the canal and handed in as they leave.
This is a commercial canal and is therefore open all year around. The locks take a maximum boat size of 39 metres by 5.05 metres.
History (from FrenchWaterways.com) – The river Aisne was a commercial navigation as early as the Gallo-Roman period, and the river was navigated by rafts from a long distance above the present limit of navigation at Vailly-sur-Aisne until the mid-19th century. The large-scale canalisation works were begun in 1836, at the same time as construction of the lateral canal. The canal was completed first, in 1841, then two years later the river navigation. The waterway remains in the strategic national network. Commercial traffic in péniches carrying 220 tonnes is still several hundred thousand tonnes per year. Recreational traffic is mainly private boats. For many years there was discussion of the possibility of upgrading the river to high-capacity European standards, to serve the port of Reims or even as the first stage of a Seine-Moselle waterway.
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Écluse 1 - Pignicourt (c2.00m)
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Écluse 2 - Condé-sur-Suippe (c2.00m)
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Écluse 3 - Berry au Bac (1.42m)
This is a double staircase lock which means it has two adjoining chambers. The middle gates form the top gates of the bottom chamber and the bottom gates of the top chamber.
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