| Givors canal | |
|---|---|
 Double lock on the Givors canal at Tartaras, just downstream from Rive-de-Gier, now a heritage site | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Maximum boat length | 22.5 metres (74 ft) |
| Maximum boat beam | 4.65 metres (15.3 ft) |
| Minimum boat draft | 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) |
| Minimum boat air draft | 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) |
| Locks | 42 (originally 26) |
| History | |
| Former names | Canal de Givors |
| Original owner | François Zacharie and Guillaume Zacharie |
| Date approved | 6 September 1761 |
| Construction began | 1763 |
| Date of first use | December 1780 |
| Date closed | c. 1900 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | La Grand-Croix |
| End point | Givors |
| Beginning coordinates | 45°30′37″N 4°34′13″E / 45.510197°N 4.570202°E |
| Ending coordinates | 45°35′24″N 4°46′30″E / 45.590115°N 4.775103°E |
| Connects to | Rhône |
The Givors canal (French: Canal de Givors) was built between 1761 and 1781 to carry coal, other goods and passengers from Rive-de-Gier to Givors on the Rhône, running beside the river Gier.
The canal was approved in 1760 and after many problems opened in 1780. The canal was originally 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long. Goods were loaded on flat barges that could carry several tons. It took about 18 hours for two or three men to pull a barge through the canal. The Givors canal played an important role in the early industrialization of Givors and the Gier valley, and became highly profitable. At its peak, in 1827, the canal transported 332,000 tons.
The canal became obsolete when the Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway, the first passenger railway in France, was built in 1828–33 along the same route. In an attempt to compete, in 1839 the canal was extended to 20 kilometres (12 mi) long, with 42 locks to raise or lower boats moving between the sections of level water. Despite the extension, traffic volumes slumped, although the canal was kept open until the start of the 20th century. Little now remains of the canal, which has mostly been covered by the A47 autoroute between Givors and Saint-Étienne.