Erie Canal reopens to boaters on Friday
Photo by Tom Rivers: The tugboat Syracuse carries inspectors and officials from the State Canal Corp. on the Erie Canal in Albion on Sept. 14, 2016. The canal will reopen to boaters on Friday.
The State Canal Corporation has announced today that portions of the system will reopen to boaters on Friday. That includes the section in Orleans County and Western New York.
The sections reopening will begin on Friday at 7 a.m. That’s ahead of the July 4 date that was planned for the start of the navigational system during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The season was scheduled to open on May 15, but was pushed back due to Covid-19. The public health emergency delayed the Canal Corp’s maintenance work that is needed before the canal can reopen.
The Canal Corporation has been working to get the system ready since Phase 1 of the state’s reopening started in mid-May for most of the canal system.
“Construction and maintenance activities continue at several locks across the system,” the Canal Corp. announced today.
The canal system is scheduled to close to navigation on Oct. 14.
The lift bridges, including the seven in Orleans County, will be operational each day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Sept. 17. From that day until the season closes on Oct. 14, the bridges will be operational from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Orleans has seven of the 16 lift bridges on the canal system. The lift bridges in Orleans include Holley, Hulberton, two in Albion, Eagle Harbor, Knowlesville and Medina.
Click here to see the notices to mariners from the Canal Corporation for more information about other sections of the canal.
