the canal de la sambre à l'oise is a canal in northern france. it forms a connection between the canalised river sambre (meuse basin) at landrecies and the oise (seine basin) at la fère. the canal is long, and has 38 locks. the junction made at la fère is with a branch of the canal de saint-quentin, while the canal latéral à l'oise is joined 10.5 km further downstream at chauny. it was used by the standard freycinet-gauge "péniches", long, and in beam, carrying up to 250 tonnes. the canal, also a popular waterway for boats heading south from the netherlands and belgium to the central french waterways, had to be closed in 2006 when two aqueducts were found to be in danger of failing. funding has been put in place by the owner, voies navigables de france, and the local authorities, with support from the state, and it is expected to reopen the canal throughout in 2020.