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After six years of construction, this inclined plane boat lift eliminated 14 canal locks when it opened in 1968. The system uses two large caissons (299 feet long and 39 feet wide) filled with water and mounted on rails along with counterweights to move the caissons filled with water and boats. Each caisson can carry either one boat with a maximum displacement of 1,350 tons or several boats totaling 1,350 tons. The vertical distance traveled is 222.2 feet and a length of 4,689 feet.
Florida’s Big Dig 