Canal Corp. to cut lock hours, resume charging tolls

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bob Conner

The state Canal Corp. will likely be cutting back its hours of operation to save money, Thruway Authority board members were told Wednesday.

Canal Corp. Executive Director Carmella Mantello did not spell out exactly how much the hours would be reduced. An announcement will be made well before the scheduled canal opening on May 1, she said later. Normal canal operating hours during most of the season have been 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., she said.

Boaters will also have to pay tolls for the first time since 2005. State grants in the past two years enabled the Canal Corp. to waive the tolls, but Mantello said no grant has been forthcoming or is expected this year.

Tolls will be at the same level as in 2005, she said.

The Canal Corp. is part of the Thruway Authority.

For more on this story, read Thursday’s edition of The Daily Gazette.