ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is asking the Department of the Interior to designate the New York State Barge Canal as a National Historic Landmark.
The National Historic Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board moved to approve the designation last month. Final approval would come from the Interior.
The Democrat says the designation would spur economic growth across upstate New York and honor the canal system's place in the nation's heritage.
She says the canal shaped the course of settlement from the Northeast to the Great Plains and established New York City as the nation's premiere seaport and commercial center.
The 525-mile Barge Canal extends through Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. It includes the Erie, Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca and Champlain canals.