Lock E9
From NY Canals - Guide to New York's Erie, Oswego, Champlain, and Cayuga-Seneca Canal System
| Lock E9 Facts | |
|---|---|
 Lock E9 in Rotterdam Junction on the Erie Canal. | |
| Located on the: | Erie Canal |
| Nearest Town: | Rotterdam Junction |
| Phone Number: | (518) 887-2401 |
| Lift: | 15 feet |
| Upstream Elevation: | 240 feet |
| Downstream Elevation: | 225 feet |
| Next Lock Westbound: | Lock E10 (6.16 miles) |
| Next Lock Eastbound: | Lock E8 (4.82 miles) |
Lock E9 of the Erie Canal is in the hamlet of Rotterdam Junction
Lock E9 there is an interesting structure which is a combination lock, dam, and truss bridge which carries State Route 103 over the Mohawk River/Erie Canal. Route 103, the shortest State Route in New York, connects Route 5 and 5S. The bridge, E-16, known locally as the Lock 9 Bridge, connects Rotterdam Junction and the town of Glenville, about eight miles west of Schenectady. This historic structure was built in the early 1900s. Until recently the Route 103 bridge had an open grid steel deck. Extensive rehabilitation work to the bridge and dam completed in late 2000, (at a contract cost of $12.3 million) replaced the open steel deck with a 538 foot long cast-in-place exodermic concrete deck. The dam received new lower gates. The movable gates, which are lifted out of the water to provide free flow in winter, hold back water during the navigation season to provide a navigation pool for boats entering and exiting the upper end of the Erie Canal's Lock E9.
[edit] Concrete Barges
Another interesting thing about Lock E9 are the 5 concrete barges resting there. During the canal's navigation season the water level is up and the barges are completely submerged. When the canal is closed and the dams are open the water level is low enough to reveal these decaying barges. There are three concrete barges upstream (west) of the lock, and another two just below (east) the lock.
The barges were constructed during World War I by the United States government in the wartime effort. Some of these barges were built at the southern tip of Rogers Island in Fort Edward, along the Champlain Canal. After the war, New York State took control of the barges and used them for approach walls at Lock E9 (and Lock E13). Approach walls are where boats tie up while waiting to use the lock. There are a number of very large concrete blocks resting atop the concrete barges. Each huge block has a mooring bollard sticking out of the top. During the war years there were many vessels built from concrete. For more information visit http://www.concreteships.org/
[edit] See Also
 Lock E9 - Spring time repair work. |
 Concrete barges near Erie Canal Lock E9. |
 Lock E9 - Closed for the Season |
 Concrete barge. |
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