Flight of Five Phase III project wins state funding
Gov. Kathy Hochul's office on Tuesday quietly announced the full scale of funding awarded statewide through Round 14 of the Regional Economic Development Council process, and the list shows Lockport Locks Heritage District Corporation was awarded three grants: $775,000 from Empire State Development Corporation, $250,000 from Market New York, and $150,000 from the state Canal Corporation, all in pursuit of further improvements to the remnants of historic Erie Canal locks 67 through 71.
Confirmation of the state awards does not signal impending construction, however, according to LHDC chair David Kinyon.
The corporation's proposed Flight of Five Phase III project — rehabilitation of three pedestrian bridges and installation of light fixtures, removal of debris in Lock 68 that was not addressed during Phase II, and repair/replacement of railings — carries a roughly $2.3 million price tag and is dependent on federal funding to cover the balance.
Congress has yet to act on U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney's 2024 request for $1 million in support of the Phase III project.
"Obviously with the change in administration it's uncertain when Congress will get to act on that particular appropriation," Kinyon said. "We are communicating fully with our state partners to keep them informed as we work to complete the funding package."
While full financing isn't yet secured, Kinyon said the state awards are "very exciting news" for LHDC, as they're the first significant capital awards for Flight restoration since Phase II was completed in 2019.
"They come at a very important time as we begin to celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal," he said. "The announcement encourages us to continue pursuing our goal of fully restoring all five locks."
Locks 69 and 70 were restored to working order in 2014, and lock 68 was rehabbed in 2019, at an overall cost of about $5 million.
The latest estimates for restoring the last two locks, 67 and 71, are $17 million and time To Be Determined.
Full rehabilitation is made complicated — and costlier — by the fact that the bottom and top locks in the series are occupied with infrastructure used by the state Canal Corporation to operate the modern Erie Barge Canal.
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