Renovation and lengthening of the Méricourt locks on the Seine River

Located some 60 km downstream of Paris, the Méricourt dam on the Seine is an imposing structure comprising 2 large-gauge locks 160 m and 185 m long, and a hydroelectric power station. Goods transport accounts for 90% of traffic (60% self-propelled and 30% convoys).

The main objectives of the project are to

• to ensure safe and reliable operation of the locks, which are in a state of disrepair, through renovation and modernization;
• ensure the robustness and continuity of service on the wide-gauge network, by restoring and increasing the navigation gauge of these locks. The project will provide two 185 m locks capable of handling 180 m convoys.

To achieve these objectives, the project includes restructuring work on the three medians to guarantee the geometry and stability of the structures. It also includes shifting the downstream lock gate by 160 m to increase its length to 185 m, renovating the lifting gate of the second lock, modernizing equipment and automation, and relocating the lock and dam control room to the river bank.

On this project, BRL Ingénierie is the leader of the integrated project management sub-group:

• Subcontractor : VENNA INGENIERIE,
• Co-contractor : STRATES Constructors' sub-group :
• BOUYGUES TP,
• BOUYGUES TP RF

As leader of the integrated project management sub-group, BRL Ingénierie carried out the standard project management tasks for this project, as well as preparing the regulatory files required for project authorization. To carry out our assignments, we mobilized our teams to cover the full range of skills required in the fields of :

• civil engineering in the broadest sense, i.e. including geotechnics, river hydraulics, structural studies for locks and the control building;
• equipment, with the restoration of the upstream aqueduct gates, the restoration of the downstream lifting gate of the 185 m lock, the design of the new gates of the extended 160 m lock, the restoration of all the operating elements, and the modernization of the control and automation systems.