Welland Canal

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NASA image: the Welland Canal on the left, the Niagara Falls in the middle

The Welland Canal ( English : Welland Canal ) is a large shipping route in Canada .

Opened on August 6, 1932 , the 43.4 km long, 80 m wide and at least 8.2 m deep canal connects Lake Erie near Port Colborne with Lake Ontario in Saint Catharines and crosses the Niagara stratification , for which eight locks are required. It forms part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and is used to bypass Niagara Falls .

The canal is for ships of the Seawaymax class with a maximum length of 225.6 m and a height of max. 35.5 m. The passage takes an average of eleven hours.

Locks

Before the Canadian reconstruction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, a total of 22 locks were necessary. Today the canal overcomes a height difference of 99.5 meters with the eight 24.4 meter wide locks.

The last lock between the Welland River and Lake Erie is necessary because the water level in the lake fluctuates constantly. Such a lock that controls differences in the water level is called a guard lock .

bridges

The canal is crossed by 21 bridges. Only a few offer the clearance required for large ships, such as B. the bridge for the Queen Elizabeth Way . The other bridges are either as bascule bridges , e.g. B. the Homer Lift Bridge 43 ° 9 '57 "  N , 79 ° 11' 41.5"  W at Saint Catherines (Regional Rd 81), or as lift bridges , such as. For example, the Clarence Street Bridge 42 ° 53 ′ 11.2 ″  N , 79 ° 14 ′ 56 ″  W , the last bridge over the canal at Port Colborne, was built.

Welland by-pass

The Welland By-Pass bypass provides a direct link between Port Robinson and Port Colborne. Here, Welland avoided. It is 13.4 kilometers long.

literature

Web links

Commons : Welland Canal  - album with pictures, videos and audio files