18 HOLIDAY 2013 boatingonthehudson.com
Barges full of cargo routinely ply the
tidal Hudson River, but have appeared
much less frequently north of the Troy
Lock in recent decades. A dedicated
effort by the NewYork State Canal
Corporation, several tugboat operators,
entrepreneurs, and business organiza-
tions is working to bring back com-
mercial marine transportation on our
upstate waterways. Here are some
examples of the flexibility of water
transportation:
Recently a very large object made its
way through theWaterford Flight of
the Erie Canal to the Crescent dock in
Halfmoon, then northbound on Route
9 into the Luther Forest Tech Campus.
This contraption was about 21 feet tall
and took up two lanes of traffic on the
road. It was a giant chemical-separating
device bound for TechValley’s most
technologically advanced manufac-
turer, semiconductor maker GLOBAL-
FOUNDRIES. The barge portion was
actually the easiest part of its journey,
done effortlessly and with skill by
experienced operators. Once on land
the device followed a very slow, heavily
guarded procession up US 9, slipping
gingerly under overhead wires with
inches to spare and being diverted onto
country roads to avoid highway and
railroad overpasses. It is now being
installed at the plant, which is currently
served by some 3000 regular and tem-
porary workers.
From the vantage point of a big-time ca-
nal supporter, I think it’s awesome that
our venerable waterway, completing
its 189th season, was a cost-effective,
efficient way to transport this monster
piece of 21st century equipment from
a New Jersey port to Saratoga County.
As a Chamber executive I’m equally
proud that it was one of our members,
DMC Marine, LLC. (a unit of Donjon
Marine) homeported in Coeymans, who
did the transporting. This definitely
was a historic moment, showing that
DeWitt Clinton’s vision is STILL paying
dividends for the people of NewYork
some 200 years or so after he first
dreamed up the idea of a canal!
A few days later, a small, 12 ton wooden
sailing vessel, Ceres, built by hand on a
Vermont farm headed south from Lake
Champlain with a cargo of farm pro-
duce and locally made goods. Stopping
in many ports along the way such as
Whitehall, Fort Edward, Mechanicville,
Troy, Hudson, Kingston, Poughkeepsie,
Newburgh,Tarrytown, and Manhattan,
its final destination was the former
Cost Effective, Flexible Transportation
Options Available On Our Waterways
-Pete Bardunias, President/CEO,
The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County
The massive delivery to GLOBALFOUNDRIES is underway on the Erie Canal, as the tug
and barge make their way through theWaterford Flight and on to the Crescent dock. The
terminal wall was once heavily used by commercial traffic, but such instances are a rarity
today. Note the many wheels used to hold the weight of the trailer as it is moved onto the
roadway.
HOLIDAY 2013.indd 21
11/7/13 7:49 AM
