Canal Corporation Announces Official Closing of the 184th Navigation Season Set for Sunday, November 15, 2009

ALBANY, NY (11/13/2009)(readMedia)-- The New York State Canal Corporation today announced that the New York State Canal System will officially close for the 184th consecutive navigation season at 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, 2009. Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello today joined with state and local officials at an event to mark the closing at Lock E-3 in the Town of Waterford, Saratoga County.

Governor David A. Paterson said, "The New York State Canal System is a treasure that we, as New Yorkers, are fortunate to have in our backyard. During this past navigation season, the people of New York State and from around the world were able to enjoy the many recreational activities and events the Canal System has to offer."

State Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari (106th A.D.) said, "The great New York State Canal System is a National treasure and a tremendous resource to all New Yorkers. As another enjoyable season comes to a close, we can look back upon the many successful events and festivals held along this beautiful waterway and look forward to an even better year in 2010."

State Senator Roy McDonald (43rd S.D.) said, "We have a great historical attraction right here in our own backyard. The New York State Canal System draws a significant number of tourists and provides real revenues to our local economy. The canal system is a wonderful demonstration of New York's rich past, but most importantly it's one of many reasons why people come to our communities."

Director Mantello said, "For more than 180 years, the Canal System has welcomed people from around the world to the cities and communities lining the waterway. This navigation season proved to be very successful with an increase in traffic and more events and festivals happening than ever before. Even though the waterway is closed to boaters, there is still a great deal of fun to be found in the hundreds of communities throughout the historic corridor during the winter months. It's now time to begin preparations for next year with a great deal of work to be done over the winter."

During the winter months, the Canal Corporation employees will be hard at work repairing buoys and other equipment retrieved from the waterway in the fall. In addition, century-old equipment used to operate the 57 locks and 16 lift bridges, along with the dozens of water control structures across the Canal System are repaired and rehabilitated. More specifically, certain locks throughout the State are completely pumped out to allow maintenance forces to inspect and repair portions of the lock normally underwater. This work, and much more, must be accomplished in only four months to ensure that Canal employees can be ready to re-open sometime in the spring.

The Canal Corporation also announced the availability of the 2009/2010 Winter Calendar of Events, a listing of nearly 200 festivals, events and attractions along the 524-mile canal corridor. The Winter Calendar of Events includes a variety of holiday events, such as the Winterwalk in the Tonawandas (December 4 & 5), Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse (November 27-January 3), Annual Holiday House in Rome (November 13-15 & 20-22), and the Gazette Holiday Parade in Schenectady (November 21), to name just a few.

The fun continues after the holidays with activities such as Free Family Moonlight Cross Country Ski Evenings in Clifton Park (January 28, February 25, & March 25), Warm Up Oswego Festival (February 6), and Cayuga County's Mardi Gras Party (February 13 & 14).

The complete 2009/2010 Calendar of Events is available on the Corporation's website at: http://www.nyscanals.gov/exvac/calendar/index.html.

The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.

The New York State Canal Corporation is a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority (Authority). Since 1992, following State legislation transferring the Canal System from the New York State Department of Transportation to the Authority, Canal operating and maintenance activities have been supported by Thruway toll revenue.

For boating information, vacation opportunities and news about the New York State Canal System, please visit www.nyscanals.gov or call 1-800-4CANAL4.

-30-

The New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation offers a free email service called TRANSalert to its customers via email or text messaging to inform them of major incidents and emergencies that may affect travel on the Thruway or navigation on the Canal System. To sign up for the Canal TRANSalert service, customers can visit the Corporation's website at www.nyscanals.gov/tas/. To sign-up for Thruway TRANSalerts please visit the Authority's website at www.nysthruway.gov/tas/.

###