For Immediate Release: 6/17/2016
Contact: Shane Mahar | shane.mahar@thruway.ny.gov
Office of Media Relations and Communications | (518) 471-5300
CANAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF ERIE CANAL AND ERIE CANALWAY TRAIL FOR MAINTENANCE REPAIRS IN ORLEANS AND MONROE COUNTIES
Draining of the Erie Canal Scheduled to Begin on Monday, June 27
The New York State Canal Corporation today announced that necessary repairs to a culvert that runs underneath the Erie Canal approximately 500 yards west of the Hulberton Lift Bridge in the Town of Murray will require the temporary closure and draining of the Erie Canal between the villages of Brockport and Middleport commencing on Monday, June 27, 2016.
After this section of the Canal is drained and preliminary construction work has started, the Canal between Middleport and Albion will be refilled with water. However, a 15-mile section of the Canal between the Albion Guard Gate (just west of the Village of Albion) and the Brockport Guard Gate (just west of the Village of Brockport) will remain de-watered until repairs are complete.
Residents who live along the Erie Canal in the immediate vicinity of the culvert repair work are safe. Local mariners are advised to remove their vessels from the Canal prior to Sunday, June 26, 2016. The Canal Corporation will assist in towing boats outside of the above referenced closure area if requested by the owners, but shall not be responsible for any damage to vessels, as a result of towing or that are not removed from the Canal prior to the closure.
Effective immediately, a detour on the Erie Canalway Trail from the Hulberton Lift Bridge to approximately 3,500 feet west of the lift bridge is in effect utilizing Canal Road on the north side of the Canal. Users of the trail should follow the posted detour signs.
The Canal Corporation estimates the closure of the Erie Canal in this area and the detour of the Erie Canalway Trail will last several weeks.
Mariners seeking information on alternative routes should contact the Canal Corporation at (518) 449-6000 .
The Canal Corporation appreciates the public’s patience and understanding while this maintenance work is completed.
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New York’s Canal system includes four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca. Spanning more than 500 miles, the waterway links the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. The canals form the backbone of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and connect hundreds of unique and historic communities. The Erie Canalway Trail is a multi-use trail, designed to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers. More than three-quarters of the 365-mile Canalway Trail from Albany to Buffalo is now a dedicated off-road trail, much of it along the canal’s former towpath. Together the canals and trail create a world-class recreationway that is a vibrant, scenic and unique New York resource.
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