This would allow for a direct water trade route to New York City (C).
The Erie Canal connects the Hudson River in Albany with Lake Erie in Buffalo. DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, asked for its creation in the early 19th century in order to have a navigable water route from New York City to the Great Lakes.
In the 18th century, the lack of railwails in this area made water the most profitable shipping route for bulk goods (i.e. large quantities of merchandise not packaged in usual containers, such as coal, oil, chemicals, sugar).