Opened to vessel traffic in 1914, the Cape Cod Canal provides a safe, navigable intra-coastal route for vessels, saving 65 to 166 miles of travel around the historically treacherous outer shores of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Its total length is 17.4 miles, including an 8.1-mile landcut and a 9.3-mile total approach channel length. The canal has a minimum depth of 32 feet at mean low tide, a minimum width of 480 feet, 135 feet of vertical clearance under the bridges, and no locks because it is sea level.
