A single lock provides 8.5 feet (2.6 m) of lift. The dominant feature here is not the lock but the raised bascule railway bridge just south of the lock. It was built in 1912-13 and used until 1984. The line was abandoned at that time and the bridge permanently raised. The bridge is designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
If you take a walk to the north of the lock, past the parking lot, you'll find the original channel of the Rideau River and the canal dam and weir that controls the level of the water above Smiths Falls. This was part of the intricate solution for navigation through the Smiths Falls rapids.
For a full history of the Smiths Falls Locks see: History of the Smiths Falls Locks
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