Which canal connects the Delaware River with Chesapeake Bay?

The canal that connects the Delaware River with Chesapeake Bay is the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

Usually called the C&D Canal, this ship canal crosses the Delmarva Peninsula between Delaware and Maryland. It provides a much shorter route between the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay, saving vessels roughly 300 miles compared with sailing around the peninsula. The modern waterway is about 14 miles long and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The idea dates to the seventeenth century, when mapmaker Augustine Herman noticed how close the two waterways were. Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush later supported the project, but construction did not begin until 1804. Financial problems delayed completion, and the canal finally opened for business in 1829.

The original canal used several locks, but twentieth-century improvements converted it into a sea-level waterway. Today it handles commercial ships, tankers, container vessels, barges, and recreational boats. Its name can cause confusion because “Delaware” refers to the Delaware River, while Chesapeake refers to Chesapeake Bay—not to a canal within Delaware alone.

The Delaware Canal is a separate historic waterway in eastern Pennsylvania and does not connect these two major estuarine routes.