MASSENA -- The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation announced today that public access to its Visitors' Center at the U.S. Eisenhower Lock for the 2017 navigation season ends at 6 p.m. on Labor Day, Sept. 4.

From Aug. 28 through Sept. 4, the center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is free to the public. Gift shop hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The center has served as a major tourist attraction for North Country residents and tourists visiting the region since 1961, two years after the Seaway opened. So far this year, approximately 62,000 visitors entered the center, or stopped by the overlook to view ships from dozens of nations traversing the binational U.S.-Canadian inland waterway.

The Eisenhower Visitors' Center is located off Route 37, and is accessible to the disabled. A north overlook parking lot is available for visitors to view ships after the center is closed.

There are several ways to obtain up-to-date information on estimated vessel transit times:

• Call 315-769-2422, for a voice recording of that day’s projected lockage schedule.

• Review the Great Lakes-Seaway binational website at http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html, which updates every 15 minutes with details on ships currently in transit within the Seaway System.

• Review lock-specific information at http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/R2/jsp/R2.jsp?language=E&loc=VT00.jsp , which offers real-time information on vessels preparing to enter any of the locks (by pulling down the Order of Turn Information).