Lock 13 Dam on Erie Canal to be Upgraded

The New York State Thruway Authority/New York State Canal Corporation announced today that it has received bids for the rehabilitation of the movable dam at Lock 13 on the Erie Canal in the Town of Root in Montgomery County.

Pending approval of the bid, the construction work is scheduled to begin April 2011 with a target completion date of December 2013.

Tioga Construction Co. Inc. of Herkimer, N.Y., was the apparent low bidder for the project at $15.5 million. There were two other bidders.

The work will include the rehabilitation of both sections of the dam built in 1907. Gates suspended from two trusses are raised and lowered as needed to regulate the water level in the navigation channel. The rehabilitation project will not impact navigation through Lock 13.

In addition to internal reviews, the bids are subject to reviews by the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the State Comptroller.

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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. In 1992, State legislation transferred the Canal System from the New York State Department of Transportation to the Thruway Authority. Canal operating and maintenance activities are supported by Thruway toll revenues.

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