Finnish Transport Agency has announced the closure of the Saimaa Canal from 15 January 2017. The canal is closed a little earlier than in previous years, due to the renewal of the lower gates. The aim is to re-open the Saimaa Canal to traffic at the end of April.
Normally, the winter closure of Saimaa Canal takes place at the end of January, but this year the canal is closed earlier, due to renovation work in the canal.
The lower gates of Saimaa Canal will be renewed with additional funding from the maintenance backlog package. The contract will start this winter and the last gates will be installed in spring 2019. In the first phase, the lower gates of Mälkiä lock, the largest lock in Saimaa Canal, will be renewed. This work will be carried out during the winter closure of Saimaa Canal.