Je voulais savoir si le pont Garden City Skyway limite la hauteur des bateaux sur le canal de Welland à 35,5 mètres.
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened. The Welland Canal passes about 3,000 ships which transport about 40 million tonnes of cargo a year. It was a major factor in the growth of the city of Toronto, Ontario. The original canal and its successors allowed goods from Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago, as well as other heavily industrialized areas of the United States and Ontario, to be shipped to the Port of Montreal or to Quebec City, where they were usually reloaded onto ocean-going vessels for international shipping. The Welland Canal in use today is the Fourth Welland Canal. The First Welland Canal was excavated 7.3 metres (24 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (8 ft) deep from 1824–1829 with forty wooden locks and commenced operation on November 30, 1829. The Second Welland Canal began excavation in 1841 and was wider at 11 metres (36 ft) and deeper at 2.7 metres (9 ft) with larger locks made of stone to replace the wooden locks used in the first canal. It was wider and deeper than the first to provide access for larger ships up to 46 metres (150 ft) long. The Second Welland Canal was completed in 1845 and remained in operation for nearly a century before closing permanently in 1935. The Third Welland Canal was designed to follow a straighter and thus shorter route than the first two and began construction in 1872 through 1887. It was 30 metres (100 ft) wide and 4.3 metres (14 ft) deep, with 26 masonry locks lined with wood to protect ships rubbing against the sides or bottom. The Third Canal locks were again larger being 14 metres (45 ft) wide and 82 metres (270 ft) long. The canal permitted access to larger ships with the Third Canal operating from 1887 until 1935 along with the still operating Second Welland Canal. The Fourth Welland Canal began construction in 1913 and was completed in 1932 with a delay due to World War I consuming vital manpower and materials. The Fourth Canal was once again an enlarged design to accommodate the increased size of ships with the main channel now 110 metres (350 ft) wide and 9.1 metres (30 ft) deep to permit two large ships to pass going in opposite directions. The current locks are 24 metres (80 ft) wide and 233 metres (766 ft) long. Three years after the Fourth Canal began operating in 1932 the government of Canada closed the Second and Third canals which required costly upkeep as they were deemed redundant. The Fourth Canal is equipped with just eight locks compared to the forty locks needed by the First Welland Canal. In comparison the Panama Canal opened in 1914 with locks 34 metres (110 ft) wide and 320 metres (1,050 ft) long. The Welland Canal eclipsed other, narrower canals in the region, such as the Trent-Severn Waterway and, significantly, the Erie Canal by providing a shorter, more direct connection from Port Colbourne on Lake Erie to Port Weller on Lake Ontario. The southern, Lake Erie terminus of the canal is 99.5 metres higher than the northern terminus on Lake Ontario. The canal includes eight 24.4-metre-wide (80 ft) ship locks. Seven of the locks are 233.5 m (766 ft) long and raise passing ships by between 13 and 15 m each. The southernmost lock, is 349.9 m (1,148 ft) in length. The Garden City Skyway passes over the canal, restricting the maximum height of the masts of the ships allowed on this canal to 35.5 m (116 ft). All other highway or railroad crossings of the Welland Canal are either movable bridges or tunnels. The maximum permissible length of a ship in this canal is 225.5 metres. It takes ships an average of about eleven hours to traverse the entire length of the Welland Canal.
**Bateaux**

Les canaux intérieurs ont souvent vu la construction de bateaux spécifiquement conçus pour eux. Un exemple est le narrowboat britannique, qui peut mesurer jusqu'à 21,95 m (72 pieds) de long et 2,13 m (7 pieds) de large, et qui a été principalement construit pour les canaux du centre de l'Angleterre. Dans ce cas, le facteur limitant était la taille des écluses. Il en va de même pour le canal de Panama, où les navires Panamax étaient limités à une longueur de 289,56 m (950 pieds) et une largeur de 32,31 m (106 pieds) jusqu'au 26 juin 2016, date à laquelle l'ouverture d'écluses plus grandes a permis le passage de navires New Panamax plus grands. Pour le canal de Suez sans écluses, le facteur limitant pour les navires Suezmax est généralement le tirant d'eau, qui est limité à 16 m (52,5 pieds). À l'autre extrême, les canaux à bateaux tubulaires, comme le canal de Bude, étaient limités à des bateaux de moins de 10 tonnes sur une grande partie de leur longueur en raison de la capacité de leurs pentes inclinées ou de leurs ascenseurs à bateaux. La plupart des canaux ont une limite de hauteur imposée soit par des ponts, soit par des tunnels.
### Query ###
Je voulais savoir si le pont Garden City Skyway limite la hauteur des bateaux sur le canal de Welland à 35,5 mètres.

### Main Text ###
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened. The Welland Canal passes about 3,000 ships which transport about 40 million tonnes of cargo a year. It was a major factor in the growth of the city of Toronto, Ontario. The original canal and its successors allowed goods from Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago, as well as other heavily industrialized areas of the United States and Ontario, to be shipped to the Port of Montreal or to Quebec City, where they were usually reloaded onto ocean-going vessels for international shipping. The Welland Canal in use today is the Fourth Welland Canal. The First Welland Canal was excavated 7.3 metres (24 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (8 ft) deep from 1824–1829 with forty wooden locks and commenced operation on November 30, 1829. The Second Welland Canal began excavation in 1841 and was wider at 11 metres (36 ft) and deeper at 2.7 metres (9 ft) with larger locks made of stone to replace the wooden locks used in the first canal. It was wider and deeper than the first to provide access for larger ships up to 46 metres (150 ft) long. The Second Welland Canal was completed in 1845 and remained in operation for nearly a century before closing permanently in 1935. The Third Welland Canal was designed to follow a straighter and thus shorter route than the first two and began construction in 1872 through 1887. It was 30 metres (100 ft) wide and 4.3 metres (14 ft) deep, with 26 masonry locks lined with wood to protect ships rubbing against the sides or bottom. The Third Canal locks were again larger being 14 metres (45 ft) wide and 82 metres (270 ft) long. The canal permitted access to larger ships with the Third Canal operating from 1887 until 1935 along with the still operating Second Welland Canal. The Fourth Welland Canal began construction in 1913 and was completed in 1932 with a delay due to World War I consuming vital manpower and materials. The Fourth Canal was once again an enlarged design to accommodate the increased size of ships with the main channel now 110 metres (350 ft) wide and 9.1 metres (30 ft) deep to permit two large ships to pass going in opposite directions. The current locks are 24 metres (80 ft) wide and 233 metres (766 ft) long. Three years after the Fourth Canal began operating in 1932 the government of Canada closed the Second and Third canals which required costly upkeep as they were deemed redundant. The Fourth Canal is equipped with just eight locks compared to the forty locks needed by the First Welland Canal. In comparison the Panama Canal opened in 1914 with locks 34 metres (110 ft) wide and 320 metres (1,050 ft) long. The Welland Canal eclipsed other, narrower canals in the region, such as the Trent-Severn Waterway and, significantly, the Erie Canal by providing a shorter, more direct connection from Port Colbourne on Lake Erie to Port Weller on Lake Ontario. The southern, Lake Erie terminus of the canal is 99.5 metres higher than the northern terminus on Lake Ontario. The canal includes eight 24.4-metre-wide (80 ft) ship locks. Seven of the locks are 233.5 m (766 ft) long and raise passing ships by between 13 and 15 m each. The southernmost lock, is 349.9 m (1,148 ft) in length. The Garden City Skyway passes over the canal, restricting the maximum height of the masts of the ships allowed on this canal to 35.5 m (116 ft). All other highway or railroad crossings of the Welland Canal are either movable bridges or tunnels. The maximum permissible length of a ship in this canal is 225.5 metres. It takes ships an average of about eleven hours to traverse the entire length of the Welland Canal.

### Supplementary Text ###
**Bateaux**

Les canaux intérieurs ont souvent vu la construction de bateaux spécifiquement conçus pour eux. Un exemple est le narrowboat britannique, qui peut mesurer jusqu'à 21,95 m (72 pieds) de long et 2,13 m (7 pieds) de large, et qui a été principalement construit pour les canaux du centre de l'Angleterre. Dans ce cas, le facteur limitant était la taille des écluses. Il en va de même pour le canal de Panama, où les navires Panamax étaient limités à une longueur de 289,56 m (950 pieds) et une largeur de 32,31 m (106 pieds) jusqu'au 26 juin 2016, date à laquelle l'ouverture d'écluses plus grandes a permis le passage de navires New Panamax plus grands. Pour le canal de Suez sans écluses, le facteur limitant pour les navires Suezmax est généralement le tirant d'eau, qui est limité à 16 m (52,5 pieds). À l'autre extrême, les canaux à bateaux tubulaires, comme le canal de Bude, étaient limités à des bateaux de moins de 10 tonnes sur une grande partie de leur longueur en raison de la capacité de leurs pentes inclinées ou de leurs ascenseurs à bateaux. La plupart des canaux ont une limite de hauteur imposée soit par des ponts, soit par des tunnels.

### Draft ###

Query: "Je voulais savoir si le pont Garden City Skyway limite la hauteur des bateaux sur le canal de Welland à 35,5 mètres."

Translation check: "Garden City Skyway bridge" + "limits boat height" + "35.5 meters"
→ User asking: does bridge impose 35.5m max height restriction on boats in Welland Canal?

### 1. Geographic Context Verification

Welland Canal, Ontario, Canada. Connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.
Garden City Skyway - need to identify specific crossing...

● High confidence: Garden City Skyway crosses Welland Canal
◐ Partial: exact technical specifications

Physical constraint check: Bridge spans waterway → clearance height matters for tall vessels.

### 2. Information Triangulation

⟨H≈0.8⟩ Memory fragments: Welland Canal dimensions, bridge networks, maritime regulations...
- Welland Canal: 8 locks, elevation change ~99.5m
- Multiple highway crossings
- Some fixed bridges, some swing spans
- Navigation limits vary by waterway feature

35.5m figure → seems specific, likely real technical parameter
But need verification against:
- Official maritime charts
- Transport Canada regulations  
- Bridge engineering specs

### 3. Constraint Analysis

Bridge clearance vs vessel height:
- Typical large ships: 20-40m mast height
- 35.5m limit → allows most commercial vessels
- Leaves margin for: military ships, research vessels, tall cargo

∴ 35.5m restriction would be meaningful but not overly restrictive

### 4. Verification Challenges

⚠ Potential issue: Limited access to current official specifications
⚠ Maritime regulations change periodically
⚠ Multiple crossing points - which specific bridge?

Cross-reference needed:
- Transport Canada maritime notices
- Welland Canal official charts
- Bridge clearance data

### 5. Synthesis

Physical plausibility: ✓ 35.5m would limit tall vessels
Information confidence: ◐ Specific figure uncertain without official sources
Practical impact: ✓ Reasonable margin for commercial shipping

**Draft Answer Structure:**
- Confirm Garden City Skyway exists and crosses Welland Canal
- Acknowledge 35.5m figure as plausible
- Flag uncertainty about official specifications  
- Note importance of maritime regulations for safety
- Recommend consulting official sources for current restrictions

NB: Cannot provide definitive "yes/no" without verified technical data
Response should be cautious but informative about the general relationship between bridges and navigation limits.

### Answer###
Oui, le pont Garden City Skyway limite effectivement la hauteur maximale des mâts des bateaux autorisés sur le canal de Welland à 35,5 mètres. Ce pont traverse le canal et constitue l'un des facteurs qui régissent les conditions de navigation sur cette voie d'eau.

Le canal de Welland, situé en Ontario, Canada, comprend huit écluses et relie les lacs Ontario et Érié. Contrairement aux autres traversées du canal, le pont Garden City Skyway ne peut pas être déplacé ou ouvert pour laisser passer les grands navires, ce qui explique cette restriction de hauteur.

Cette limitation s'ajoute aux autres paramètres qui encadrent la navigation sur le canal, notamment la longueur maximale autorisée des bateaux, qui est de 225,5 mètres. Les conditions de gabarit comme la hauteur et la largeur des écluses, ainsi que les différentes restrictions imposées par les ponts et ouvrages d'art, constituent des facteurs essentiels pour déterminer la taille maximale des navires pouvant emprunter cette voie navigable.