Dam - That's Not A Bridge? - Randall, NY
Posted by: 
jiggs11
N 42° 55.023 W 074° 26.791
18T E 545174 N 4751751
Marker located at the I-90 Eastbound rest area near Randall, NY, recounting the history of the dam at Lock 13 on the Erie Canal.
Waymark Code: WM11C8C
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 09/25/2019
Views: 3
Marker describes the construction of the water dam at Lock 13 of the nearby Erie Canal.
At first glance, it looks like a bridge, but in fact it is a dam-lifting mechanism designed to control canal levels in times of flood conditions.
The marker was erected jointly by the NY State Canal Corporation and the NY State Thruway Authority. It is one of several markers located along the trail system around the rest area. It is also included in the Erie Canal marker series.
Marker text reads:
"Mighty floods sweep down the Mohawk almost every spring. Builders of the original Erie Canal recognized the river's power and laid out their artificial waterway well above flood levels. Barge Canal engineers dredged river channels and replaced stone and timber with steel and concrete, but they still had to plan for the awesome power of Mohawk River floods.
Locks and dams change river levels into stair-steps. Eight distinctive moveable dam structures between Schenectady and Fort Plain were designed to pass high water. While they look like bridges, only two carry roadways. The trusses support a system of gates and uprights that are lowered into the river to form navigable pools during the summer, but are pulled out of the water in winter to clear the way for ice and debris-filled floodwaters."
Group that erected the marker: NY State Canal Corporation and the NY State Thruway Authority
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
I-90 Lock 13 Rest Area
Randall, NY USA
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