The Seaway was completed in 1959 at a cost of C$470 million. Today, thousands of vessels use it every year, from small recreational boats to huge ocean liners. About 40 to 50 million tonnes of cargo are moved on these ships and they go to all parts of the world including Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It has been an important part of the economic growth of cities like Toronto, Hamilton, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. There are plans to make the Seaway even wider so that container ships as big as those that travel through the Panama Canal can use it.