Lock 11 is being restored and made operational. A Drop Gate will be installed at this end of the lock, the end where the water level is high. A Drop Gate is a type of lock gate that is hinged at the bottom. When a Drop Gate is opened, it lays flat on the bottom of the lock. In the cement at the bottom of the photo are three openings called Wickets. These Wickets are used to allow water to enter the lock and fill it. When the lock is filled, the Drop Gate will drop and the Wickets will be closed. A pedestrian crossing bridge will be built across the opposite end of the lock from the wickets. The photo looks South. 9/4/04
This is the Locktender's House Museum. The old pedestrian crossing bridge has been removed. It can be seen in restoration photos from previous months or in the Locktender's House Area, New Hope photos. A temporary crossing bridge has been erected. When the reconstruction of Lock 11 is complete, another crossing bridge will be built as described in the photo above. 9/4/04.
The building on the right is the Lock 11 Wicket Shanty under construction. The Wicket Shanty will contain the controls for the Wickets and the Drop Gate. The Wicket Shanty is on the opposite side of the lock from the Locktender's House Museum. 9/12/04
These Mallard Ducks are on a temporary construction dam keeping water out of Lock 11. One of the New Hope mule-drawn canal boat ride's boats is in the center of the canal starting on another trip. Another canal boat is waiting for its next trip on the right of the photo. The Locktender's House Museum is off the photo to the right. The water in the canal is covered by Duckweed, not Algae. Duckweed is a primary food source for migrating birds. 9/4/04.