Cape Cod Canal

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The Cape Cod Canal is a man-made waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that anchors Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts. The Canal is roughly 17.4 miles long, and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south. The 540-foot width of the canal is spanned by the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge and two highway bridges, the Bourne and the Sagamore.

The primary purpose of the Cape Cod Canal is to provide a safe navigation channel for vessels seeking the shorter and safer Canal route thru the isthmus of Cape Cod. On average the Canal saves 135 miles of open sea travel out around the tip of Cape Cod. Since 1928 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has operated the waterway toll free to vessels adequately powered for Canal Passage.