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NYS
Canal Corporation Announces Three-Year
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Waiver
of Tolls for Recreational Boats
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Dates
for navigation season through 2021 are also released
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Albany,
NY – December 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / The
New York State Canal Corporation
Board of Directors has approved a continued waiver of tolls for recreational
vessels through 2021, following two years of toll-free travel that saw
increases in canal traffic.
The
tolls, $25 to $100 depending on the size of the boat, had been waived in
2017 and 2018 to celebrate the Erie Canal bicentennial and the 100-year
anniversary of the New York State Barge Canal, now known as the New York
State Canal System.
“We
had initially waived the tolls for special occasions, but the increased
patronage of the canals is also a cause for celebration,” said Gil C. Quiniones,
president and CEO of the New York Power Authority, which oversees the state
Canal System. “Come spring, we hope even more boaters will find out why
the canals make for a unique experience on the water.”
Tolls
will continue to be collected for commercial vessels.
Motorized
pleasure boat traffic on the state Canal System increased 3 percent over
last year as boaters took advantage of tolls being waived. Such vessels—the
most-common type on the canals—were recorded traveling through Canal System
locks and lift bridges 71,529 times during the 2018 navigation season,
compared to 69,362 lockings in 2017.
The
figures account for each time a boat goes through a lock or under a lift
bridge, not the actual number of boats. If a boat travels through several
locks it would be counted as locking through each time.
In
a related move, the New York State Canal Corporation today announced the
navigation season dates for recreational vessels for 2019-2021. Each year,
the season will begin the Friday of the week before Memorial Day and end
the Wednesday after Columbus Day. For example, the 2019 season will run
from May 17 to Oct. 16. The dates are in line with the navigation seasons
for the last two years.
“We
sought to have a more predictable schedule for the thousands of boaters
who use the canals,” said Brian U. Stratton, Canal Corporation director.
“Announcing the dates now will provide mariners, communities and business
interests along the canal corridor with ample advance notice to plan itineraries
and events.”
The
navigation season is designed to optimize conditions and productivity for
critical maintenance and capital work that can only be performed when canals
are closed. Traditionally, the canals have been kept open later in the
year when very little boating occurred, forcing Canal Corporation employees
and contractors to compact work schedules and work in more dangerous conditions.
The
new schedule allows for increased productivity, while continuing navigation
during periods when the overwhelming majority of boaters have historically
used the canals-- with the greatest usage between Memorial Day and Labor
Day.
The
Canal Corporation also announced it is reviewing the hours of operation
during the navigation season in response to feedback from recreational
boaters, vessel operators, and canal businesses. Operating hours for 2019
will be announced in April.
The
dates are subject to change based on weather conditions and water levels.
To
receive the latest notices on canal conditions, sign up at www.canals.ny.gov/wwwapps/tas/tascanals/index.aspx.
About
the New York State Canal Corporation
New
York’s canal system includes four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain,
Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca. Spanning 524 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. In 2018, New York is celebrating
the bicentennial of the start of the Erie Canal’s construction. For more
information on the Canal System, visit www.canals.ny.gov.
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