Proposed Improvement of the Cape Cod Canal

The Cape Cod Canal has been open to navigation for twenty-one years, but could accommodate only 20% of the North Atlantic coastwise shipping in 1934 because of limited depth and width. Improvement is economically justified. For several years following the purchase of the canal by the Federal Government, plans for improvement have been under consideration. The most important question involved has been whether there should be locks, or a wider, open canal. The engineering and other difficulties involved in each case are discussed, together with the reasons for selecting the open canal. The new bridges which have been constructed are of unusual interest, one having the longest vertical lift span in the world. Construction methods include excavation by land methods as well as by dipper and by hydraulic dredging. The tide and current conditions are important because of their effect on navigation. The writer has attempted to predict the maximum current to be expected.