<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> In 1918, the Canal was replaced by the larger New York State Barge Canal . This new canal replaced much of the original route, leaving many abandoned sections (most notably between Syracuse and Rome). New digging and flood control technologies allowed engineers to canalize rivers that the original canal had sought to avoid, such as the Mohawk, Seneca, and Clyde rivers, and Oneida Lake . In sections that did not consist of canalized rivers (particularly between Rochester and Buffalo), the original Erie Canal channel was enlarged to 120 feet (37 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep . The expansion allowed barges up to 2,000 short tons (1,800 t) to use the Canal . This expensive project was politically unpopular in parts of the state not served by the canal, and failed to save it from becoming obsolete for commercial shipping . </P> <P> The new alignment began on the Hudson River at the border between Cohoes and Waterford, where it ran northwest with five locks (the so - called "Waterford Flight"), running into the Mohawk River east of Crescent . The Waterford Flight is claimed to be one of the steepest series of locks in the world . </P>

When did they stop using the erie canal
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