The Waterford Flight facts for kids
The Waterford Flight is a special series of five canal locks on the Erie Canal in upstate New York. These locks, named E-2 through E-6, are all located together in Waterford. They help boats travel a huge distance upwards, lifting them 169 feet (about 51.5 meters) from the Hudson River to the Mohawk River. This amazing system helps boats get around the big Cohoes Falls.
Built in 1915, the Waterford Flight is still used today. It's a key part of the New York State Canal System, which is open for both fun boat trips and commercial shipping. The Waterford Flight is unique because it lifts boats higher than any other canal lock system in the United States, especially for its short length of only 1.5 miles.
Why the Waterford Flight Was Planned
The original path of the Erie Canal went around Cohoes Falls to the south, through the city of Cohoes. As the 1900s began, people realized the canal needed to be bigger. They wanted to handle more boats and larger ships.
Instead of building completely new canals, engineers came up with a clever idea. They decided to "canalize" local rivers. This means they would make rivers suitable for canal traffic. For the area near Cohoes, this new plan meant creating a direct path. This path would go from the Mohawk River, north of Cohoes Falls, straight to the Hudson River at Waterford.
This new route changed everything. Boats could now travel directly from the Hudson to the Mohawk using the Waterford Flight. This completely bypassed the older canals that ran from Albany to Cohoes. The Troy Federal Lock and Dam became the unofficial start of the Erie Canal. The first lock of the Waterford Flight, Lock E-2, became the official beginning.
Building the Waterford Flight
Building the Waterford Flight was a huge project. It started in 1905 and took 10 years to finish. The five locks are enormous, much bigger than earlier versions. Each lock was designed to be 328 feet (about 100 meters) long, 45 feet (about 13.7 meters) wide, and 12 feet (about 3.6 meters) deep. These measurements became the standard size for the entire Barge Canal System, and they are still used today.
Besides the locks, there are two large "guard gates" at the northern end of the flight. These gates can be lowered to stop extra water from flowing from the Mohawk River into the locks. This helps protect the locks from damage during floods. Over the years, the locks have been repaired and updated many times. This includes replacing the big lock doors and fixing the concrete walls inside the locks.
The Waterford Flight Today
Today, the Waterford Flight is still busy helping boats travel through New York. It is managed by the New York State Canal Corporation. The area around the Waterford Flight is also home to Lock 6 State Canal Park. This park follows the canal's path between the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. It allows people to visit the locks and even has a boat ramp at the northern end.
In 2011, this amazing set of locks was recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. This honor was given by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It shows how important and impressive the Waterford Flight is in the history of engineering.
