The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority Act and the International Rapids Power Development Act allow Canadians to begin the construction of navigation works on the Canadian side of the river from Montreal to Lake Ontario as well as in the Welland Canal, along with a joint U.S. Canadian project to begin the necessary power works in the international rapids section of the St. This action breaks the log jam, and the U.S. also begins work on the Wiley-Dondero Canal that will bypass the International Rapids on the St. Lawrence. Co-operation and consultation on the elements of the modern Seaway commence. 1954 Work on the Seaway begins in September. Four Montreal-area bridges must be modified without disrupting traffic, new channels must be dug and existing ones dredged.
Excavators uncover rock formations so tough that new methods and stronger machinery are needed.
Some 6,500 people are moved to new homes and some 550 dwellings are transported to waiting foundation s in the new towns of Long Sault, Ingleside and Iroquois. The new Iroquois Lock is in regular use by May. On July 4, the Snell and Eisenhower Locks built by the U.S. at Massena, N.Y., are opened and the power switch is turned on at the international Moses-Saunders generating station. The four-year construction deadline has been met almost to the day. 1959 Completion of the joint U.S.-Canadian St.