The Franklin Lock and Dam, also known as the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam, is a navigable

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

and

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

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Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

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.http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Operations/Branches/SFOO/DOCS/FactSheet_WPF.pdf USCE Factsheet This lock and dam cost $3.8 million, and was constructed in 1965. It is located on the

Caloosahatchee River The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National ...

approximately upstream from the

Gulf Intracoastal Waterway The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately from Saint Marks, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. T ...

. The Franklin Lock and Dam was named after Walter P. Franklin (1871-1967), a businessman, civic leader, and mayor of

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

. It is located at latitude 26° 43" 16', longitude -81° 41"40', on the

about upstream of the

. Lockage usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes. The lock operates from 7 am to 5 pm, 365 days a year, unless otherwise stated in "Notice to Mariners", published by the Coast Guard.

Purpose

The Franklin Lock and Dam were constructed for flood control, water control, the prevention of salt-water intrusion, and for navigation purposes.

Technical information

The lock chamber is wide by long by high. The lift of the lock is usually 2 to from sea level to the Caloosahatchee River water level. The channel is wide by deep. The lock chamber is concrete, with welded structural steel sector gates, and concrete gate bays. This lock has a discharge capacity of .

Lockage

Vessels

Approximately 15,000 vessels pass through annually, of which about 97% are recreational vessels.

Commodities

About 13,000 tons of manufactured goods, equipment, crude materials, food, and petroleum products are locked annually.

Radio channel

This lock operates on

Marine VHF radio Marine VHF radio is a worldwide system of two way radio transceivers on ships and watercraft used for bidirectional voice communication from ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore (for example with harbormasters), and in certain circumstances ship-to-ai ...

channel 13.

References

Transportation buildings and structures in Lee County, Florida Dams in Florida United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Transport infrastructure completed in 1965 Dams completed in 1965 1965 establishments in Florida Locks of Florida Buildings and structures in Lee County, Florida {{Florida-stub