I did not crop off the foreground because I had to keep the watermark.
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| George Argondizza, Aug 2023 |
Are some logs stuck against the gates and that is what is causing the distorted flow?
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| Sephen P, Sep 2023 |
I think this is the first time I've seen the gates raised up to allow the river to flow freely in the Winter.
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| Tom Friend, Jan 2022 |
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| nycanalmap |
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| hmdb, cropped, May 2025 photo by Steve Stoessel Original Erie Canal locks measured 90 feet long and 15 foot wide to fit canal boats around 60 feet long and seven feet wide. When New York State began building the expanded Barge Canal, new locks measured more than 320 feet long and 45 feet wide with a depth of 12 feet of water to accommodate boats up to 300 feet long. Locks E8 through E15, along the Mohawk River, featured a dam based on a design found on the Moldau, the Czech Republic's longest river. Here at Lock 8, construction of the three-span movable dam began in 1908. At 510 feet wide, it can raise and lower boats by as much as 15 feet, when activated. People often mistake the dam for a bridge, but the walkway you see is strictly used for maintenance. Beneath the dam's trusses are steel frames holding giant steel plates. Below the surface, stretching the full width of the river floor is a concrete sill. When the frames are swung open and lowered by chains to sit on the sill, they form a dam. |
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| hmdb, Mar 2019 photo by Steve Stoessel Work began here in Rotterdam in 1908 on Erie Barge Canal Lock 8. In addition to constructing Lock 8, engineers built a three-span moveable dam (about 510 feet wide) that raises boats heading upstream as much as 15 feet when the dam is activated. Many people mistake the dam for a bridge, (which it is not) but a walkway that allows for necessary maintenance. Beneath the dam's trusses are steel frames each containing a giant steel plate. Below the dam's base, a concrete sill constructed on the river bed spans the river's width. When these frames are swung open and lowered by chains onto the sill, they form a dam. Dam gates can be adjusted up or down almost like window shades, to control the volume of water and its rate of flow. Raising or lowering the dam must be carefully coordinated with the lock operators downstream to prevent the release of too much water which might flood the river bank banks. Therefore, lock gates downstream must all be raised or lowered accordingly During the winter when the Canal is not operational, the dam's steel structures are lifted completely clear of the water allowing the river to resume its natural flow. |
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| hmdb, Aug 30, 2011, photo by Howard C. Ohlhous Lock E8 is seen here, with some damage, in August of 2011 after flooding due to Hurricane Irene. [There was damage because they did not have enough time to raise the gates to pass the 12" rain in the area. It looks like they got them up by the time this photo was taken.] |
I was shocked when I saw this photo.
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| Michael Clark, Feb 2018 |
When I saw this photo, I realized that the crane is probably on the end of a boat ramp.
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| C K, Mar 2018 |
This photo shows that the ice flows pushed up and around the crane during the winter months. I tried googling what construction was happening in 2016 and 2018, but I didn't find any useful results.
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| Andrew Nold, Sep 2016 |
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