Driving Down the Rhine - The Locks at Vogelgrun

Starting at the Swiss border, the Rhine is contained and kept navigable by a series of dams and locks. These are positioned about every 10 to 15 miles as the river runs between France and Germany. At these stations, the river is split into 2 or 3 channels. The first channel is usually blocked by dam to produce hydroelectricity. A second channel has a set of locks to allow the barge traffic to move up and down the river. (sometimes the locks are combined with the dam in the same channel) The last channel is normally a large spillway to divert the water that the locks and dam can't handle. At strategic locations, there are also flood zones to allow the river to spill out over its banks without flooding the cities or breaching the levees.

From Neuf Brisach you can drive just a few kilometers to the east and cross over the Rhine at Vogelgrun. The two lane road runs atop the dam and there is a nice parking spot for folks that want to get out and watch the river traffic go through the locks.

This sequence of pictures just shows a barge coming and going.