ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — Both ends of Erie Canal’s Lock 1 have finally been found, allowing Albany to work towards locking back into the Hudson River. It’s only about a foot-and-a-half underground, but there is still a lot of work to be done before a marina opens up.

Elected officials joined together on Water Street to celebrate the excavation by SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Albany Waterway Inc. “As a port city, Albany has always been a place of innovation, commerce and opportunity, and as mayor, I am committed to working alongside all of our colleagues and partners in government to reestablish our waterfront as Albany’s crown jewel,” stated Mayor Dorcey Applyrs.

Associate Professor Andrew Wolfe said the good news is the lock should be in really good shape. “As far as the walls go and the floor go, it would need new gates. All of the upper works would have to be rebuilt and it would have to be dug out. It’s 22-foot deep, but it’s all fill.”

But there’s no timeline on when construction on the marina will begin.

“That’s the $200 million question. It’s all a matter of money. We’ve shown that this is here. We know the weigh lock is here, we know the little basin is there. So all the pieces are there. Now, it’s really the politicians figuring out how to make it happen,” added Wolfe.

Unearthing Lock 1 has been a decades-long passion project. But it is not without its above-ground obstacles.

“As we make progress on Central Warehouse, this is vital. And I do want to give a little update. I met with Modern Press yesterday and the owner, and he didn’t say no. It was a great conversation, so I’m hoping that we can find that ground to help him get where he needs to get and fairly do it where he’s happy and we get to open this up,” explained County Executive Dan McCoy.

Whenever the marina project begins, Wolfe told CBS6’s Anthony Krolikowski construction could take at least four to five years.

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