Construction
Excluding the important sewers built upriver and downriver in the adjacent suburbs, the covered section itself was to be 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) in length. Constructed from bricks, the covering was to consist of two parallel 6 m (20 ft) wide tunnels, and a set of two lateral drainage pipes, each taking in waste water from its respective side of the street.
The contract was signed on June 15, 1866 and the expropriation of the first 1,100 houses was completed in a few months. The work began on February 13, 1867. There were several technical difficulties that delayed the covering, many of which were due to the geology of Brussels, though they were not as bad as some engineers had forecast. The embezzlement scandal also caused a significant delay in construction, largely due to the change in control. The project was completed in 1871, with the municipal council ceremonially opening the reconstructed sluice gates on November 30.
Read more about this topic: Covering Of The Senne
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