Canal Seine-Nord Europe accelerates construction and habitat restoration

The Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe is beginning a new phase of work this summer on sector 1 of the Canal Seine‑Nord Europe, the 18‑kilometre stretch between Compiègne and Passel. Preparatory activities, termed TOARC (Terrassements, Ouvrages d’art et Rétablissements de communication), include geotechnical surveys, installation of base camps for up to 500 workers, access roads, material storage zones and the first earthworks that will precede full‑scale canal excavation.

In parallel, the project is implementing a 55‑hectare wet‑land restoration at Pontpoint’s Étang n°5. The plan will retain 15 hectares of open water while creating shallow water zones, reed beds, humid meadows and gently sloping banks to improve habitats for birds, amphibians, insects and plants, contributing to the broader 424‑hectare environmental compensation programme along the Oise valley.