Welland Ship Canal

Welland Ship Canal, Canadian waterway, province of Ontario, linking Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Formerly called the Welland Canal and situated parallel to the Niagara River, the canal is 44 km (28 mi) long and extends from Port Weller on Lake Ontario to Port Colborne on Lake Erie. The canal serves as the passage for large vessels between the two Great Lakes because the Niagara River is impassable, due to Niagara Falls and rapids. The eight locks of the canal have a lift of 99.4 m (326 ft). The original Welland Canal, containing 25 locks, was opened in 1829. Reconstruction of the waterway was begun in 1913; it was opened to traffic as the Welland Ship Canal in 1932. The canal became part of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959. Extensive improvements were made on part of the canal in the early 1970s, so that the time now taken to raise or lower each lock has been reduced to about 7 minutes, rather than the previous 30 minutes.