Canal del Dique

The Canal del Dique is a 118 km canal connecting Cartagena Bay to the Magdalena River in the Bolívar Department in northern Colombia. Its eastern portion forms most of the border between the departments of Bolívar and Atlántico. The port on the Magdalena is Calamar. The canal was needed since the mouth of the Magdalena River was virtually impenetrable, and Colombia's two main colonial ports had no access to the river. It was built by the Spanish in 1582 but quickly fell into disrepair; it was rebuilt in 1650. However, by the end of the 18th century, it had become impassable except during times of high runoff, and by 1821 it was completely blocked. Thus, trade moved increasingly away from Cartagena to Santa Marta and Sabanilla. By 1831 traders in the city began to lobby for the canal's reopening, but repeated efforts to redredge the channel failed and by the end of the 19th century a railroad had replaced it. ()