Great Lakes Waterway
The
Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and
canals that makes all of the
Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. Its principal civil engineering components are the
Welland Canal, bypassing
Niagara Falls between
Lake Ontario and
Lake Erie, and the
Sault locks, bypassing the rapids of the
St. Mary's River between
Lake Superior and
Lake Huron, at
Sault Sainte Marie.
The Great Lakes Waterway is supplemented by the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which makes the Saint Lawrence River navigable from Montreal to Kingston, Ontario. The two waterways are often jointly referred to as the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The Great Lakes Waterway is co-administered by Canada and the United States.