Full repair to canal will happen after navigation season

HULBERTON – The State Canal Corporation plans a bigger fix to a culvert in Hulberton after the canal boating season ends on Nov. 20, Canal Corporation officials said.

The Canal Corporation and contractor C.P. Ward of Scottsville made a temporary repair to a leaking culvert that allowed the canal to be reopened. A section was closed between Middleport and Brockport for about a week.

“For the temporary repairs that were completed this week, sheet piling was installed into the north and south embankments around the culvert to stabilize them and grout (cement) was pumped into the void areas, essentially plugging the leak,” Shane Mahar, Canal Corp. spokesman, said in an email, describing the work that was done.

The Canal Corp. had warned it could take several weeks to make the temporary fix during the height of the canal boating season.

“The full and complete repair is being designed by our engineers,” Mahar said. “We expect those repairs to be completed during the non-navigation season.”

Brian Stratton, the Canal Corp. director, said a “multi-agency response” allowed the canal to reopen ahead of the initial predictions.