There is, however, no access to the Rhône at Beaucaire as the lock has been closed since the Vallebregues barrage was built. The possibility of re-establishing the link "is being studied, but there is no prospect for the immediate future".[3][4] Access to the Rhône is instead via the lock situated to the west of Saint-Gilles which links the canal to the Petit Rhône and from there northeastwards to the junction with the Grand Rhône at Fourques situated to the north of Arles.
Apart from the lock at Saint-Gilles there is only one other operating lock on the canal between St Gilles and Beaucaire. The canal is almost totally situated at sea level and the western part from the Vidourle river to the Étang de Thau is a sea-water canal.
In recent years major work has been undertaken to upgrade the canal so it can now be used by 1200t convoys instead of the previous 350t barges. Most notable are a stretch of canal bypassing the town of Aigues-Mortes with its railway swing bridge and a direct canal link to the port of Sète eliminating the passage of lifting and swing bridges in Frontignan and Sète.
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