<P> A further major upheaval, planned from the 1960s, was construction of a high - capacity waterway to connect the Rhône - Saône corridor with the main European waterway network . This project was abandoned by Environment Minister Dominique Voynet in 1997 . </P> <P> The section from Mulhouse to Neuf - Brisach is abandoned, while the 29 km section between Artzenheim and Friesenheim has been partially restored by Alsace Region, but works were stopped in 2009 for financial reasons . A cycle path was built along this section in 2011, extending the popular cycle path south from Strasbourg . </P> <P> The first section of the Canal de Franche - Comté was authorised by Burgundy Council in 1783 and completed in 1802 from the Saône to Dôle . Napoleon was seeking to develop inland waterway connections throughout the country, and the Rhône - Rhine link was of such strategic importance that he gave his name to the project . The Emperor's administration conceived the predecessor of today's public - private partnership model, selling existing canals to private companies, to provide funds for new links . The proceeds were diverted for the war effort, and it was not until 1821 that this project, now renamed' Canal Monsieur', was reactivated by the canal company set up for this purpose . Works were completed in 1833 . Upgrading to Freycinet standards started in 1882, and the summit level was lowered, reducing the number of locks . The new high - capacity Rhine - Rhône waterway would have made the canal obsolete, but the environment minister Dominique Voynet cancelled that project in 1997 . The Government then funded--as compensation--the backlog of maintenance works and other improvements, but with little impact on commercial traffic in 250 - tonne péniches, which has all but disappeared . </P>

Is the rhine and the rhone the same river