All of these are apt:
the development of large cities that were once only small towns
increase in travel and settlement to the West
Step-by-step explanation:
The Erie Canal was first opened in 1825.
It was the most important project of the time because it was responsible for It connecting Lake Erie and the Great Lakes system with the Hudson River.
This gave the states on west direct access to the Atlantic ocean and did not need them to have shipping goods be transported down to the Mississippi River to New Orleans.
This completely changed the dynamics of the cities of the nation.