Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct

Delaware Aqueduct
Delaware Aqueduct post-restoration by the NPS
Carries	Motor vehicles
Crosses	Delaware River
Locale	Minisink Ford, New York to Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania.
Maintained by	National Park Service
Design	Suspension bridge
Total length	535 feet (175 m)
Opening date	1847
Coordinates	41°28′57″N 74°59′04″W / 41.482571°N 74.9844105°W / 41.482571; -74.9844105Coordinates: 41°28′57″N 74°59′04″W / 41.482571°N 74.9844105°W / 41.482571; -74.9844105

Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct is the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States; it runs 535 feet (175 m) from Minisink Ford, New York to Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania. It is also known as the Delaware Aqueduct, or Roebling Bridge. Begun in 1847 as one of four suspension aqueducts on the Delaware and Hudson Canal (D & H), it was designed by and built under the supervision of John A. Roebling, who would design the Brooklyn Bridge twenty years later. Portions of the D & H Canal, including the Delaware Aqueduct, were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. The Delaware Aqueduct is also designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark. The aqueduct was used as a vehicular bridge until 1979; it was restored by the National Park Service in 1985 and is now part of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.

The Delaware and Hudson Canal and Gravity Railroad was a system of transportation between coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania and markets on the Hudson River that operated from 1828 until 1898, with enlargements after the 1840s.

Two important local industries with conflicting needs brought about construction of Roebling's Delaware and Lackawaxen Aqueducts: canal traffic and timber rafting. Since the mid-1700s, timber from the Delaware valley had been floated down the Delaware to shipyards and industries in Trenton and Philadelphia. The D & H Canal operated a rope ferry crossing of the Delaware at Lackawaxen but it created a major bottleneck before the aqueduct was built, and there were numerous collisions with timber rafts headed downstream. In 1847, to alleviate both problems, the D & H Canal Company approved Russel F. Lord's plan to substitute two new aqueducts in place of the rope ferry.

After evaluating several options, Lord recommended designs submitted by John A. Roebling who had already built a wire suspension aqueduct at Pittsburgh in 1845. Roebling's suspension designs allowed adequate space for the passage of ice floes and river traffic. An immediate success, the $41,750 Delaware Aqueduct and the $18,650 Lackawaxen Aqueduct (only the abutments remain) reduced canal travel time by one full day, saving thousands of dollars annually.

Early history (1779–1827)

Sign at the northern terminus of County Route 168 for Minisink Battleground County Park

The Roebling Aqueduct, before its construction in 1848, was the location of an 18th Century battle during the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. The Battle of Minisink on July 22, 1779 was a victury for Mohawks and Loyalists under the command of Captain Joseph Brant of the British Army over Rebel militiamen.

Delaware and Hudson Canal (1827–1848)

The new aqueduct (1848–1898)

Continuous bridge maintenance (1898–1930)

Lackawaxen Aqueduct Company (1930–1942)

Edward H. Huber (1942–1973)

National Park Service and its restoration (1973–present)

See also

• List of crossings of the Delaware River
• Zane Grey Museum (Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania), another feature of local historical interest also operated by the National Park Service, within easy walking distance.

Gallery

	Delaware Aqueduct post-restoration by the NPS	A view down the center of the one lane bridge	The visible cables of the suspension bridge
Part of the bridge's foundation pointing upstream, showing an ice-breaker design	Delaware Aqueduct before restoration. Notice the suspension cables, which are hidden in the restored aqueduct by the canal sides. (NPS photographs)

References

External links

• National Park Service, Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct
• Entry at bridgemeister.com
• Delaware Aqueduct Bridge in the Structurae database

Crossings of Delaware River Upstream Tusten Station Railroad Bridge Central New York Railroad Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct Downstream Barryville–Shohola Bridge

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