The "new" canal opened in May 1927 with great celebration, even as plans were underway for further expansion to accommodate ever larger ships. The Philadelphia District assumed operation of the canal in 1933. Between 1935 and 1938, the channel was again improved, deepened to and widened to at a cost of nearly $13 million. The project was also expanded to include a federal navigation channel deep and wide for some in the Upper Chesapeake Bay, from the Elk River to Pooles Island.