MONT-SAINT-MICHEL, France - Tidal restoration at historic abbey OK'd

France's government has given the green light to a project to restore the unique tidal system around Mont-Saint-Michel, the Gothic abbey perched high on a rock off the Normandy coast.|

France's government has given the green light to a project to restore the unique tidal system around Mont-Saint-Michel, the Gothic abbey perched high on a rock off the Normandy coast.

Work should begin in mid-April, Environment Minister Nelly Olin said as he visited the historic islet, which is surrounded by quicksand at low tide and waves as the sea level rises.

The planned project includes removing a 19th-century causeway that has provoked a buildup of silt and salt marsh, as well as constructing a dam and a new bridge from the mainland.

About 62 acres of salt marsh are gaining on the Mont annually.

Without an overhaul of the tidal system, the abbey will be surrounded by grass in 2042, the project's developers say.

The Mont will stay open to tourists during work, scheduled to end in 2009.

-- Associated Press

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