Work began on the Maas-Waal Canal in 1920. On October 27, 1927 the canal was opened by Queen Wilhelmina. Before that, ships had to make a 100-kilometer detour to get from Heumen to Nijmegen, after which the German hinterland could be reached. The village of Heumen came to lie between the Maas and the canal after the construction of the new canal and became very difficult to reach. The village of Neerbosch was divided in half. The canal and the construction of the Hatertsebrug in the 1960s also had a major influence on the village of Hatert near Nijmegen. There, two village pubs and the church disappeared due to the construction of the bridge, and with it the village center.

In 1970 it was decided to broaden the canal. The necessary expansion of Nijmegen at the same time made the then municipal council of Nijmegen decide to build a new residential area on the western side of the canal, Dukenburg. Less than 10 years later, Lindenholt was built, which was partly built over the old village of Neerbosch. As a result, the Maas-Waal Canal now largely cuts through the built-up area of Nijmegen.