$6 Million In Delaware Canal Repairs Celebrated By Officials

Two important infrastructure projects at Delaware Canal State Park have been completed after more than $6 million in combined investments to improve long-term climate resiliency and expanding safe outdoor recreation.

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited the park in Solebury Township Friday to highlight the completion of the Lumberville Aqueduct and the High Falls Sub Canal Culvert.

Both areas were badly damaged in 2021 during Tropical Storm Ida.

The completed projects reconnect two sections of the 58.9-mile Delaware Canal Towpath.

The towpath is part of a larger trail network that includes the D&L Trail, allowing visitors to travel continuously along the regional trail.

“The Delaware Canal is a treasured historic and recreational corridor, and these investments help ensure it will be enjoyed for generations,” Dunn said. “Along its 60-mile route, the canal connects many communities that care deeply about this landscape. Restoring and improving these structures strengthens resiliency, protects our heritage, and supports the outdoor experiences people love.”

The Lumberville Aqueduct project cost $3.7 million.

During Tropical Storm Ida, powerful water flowing from the Paunacussing Creek toward the Delaware River destroyed the aqueduct’s center supportive pier. While a replacement structure was already being designed before the storm, the damage accelerated the timeline, officials said.

DCNR conducted an emergency removal of the damaged structure for public safety shortly after the storm and later working with design consultants to create a completely new aqueduct that spans the creek without a center pier.

Funding for the project was provided by Key93, the Oil and Gas Lease Fund, and ARPA, with reimbursement from FEMA.

The restored Lumberville Aqueduct Pedestrian Bridge has reopened to trail users, officials said.

The High Falls Sub-Canal Culvert project, which is located in Upper Black Eddy, was completed at a cost of $2.7 million.

The structure failed during the 2021 storm when High Falls Creek overtopped, causing a major breach of the canal towpath. Though repaired multiple times over the years, the severity of the damage from Ida required a full replacement.

DCNR and design consultants developed a new sub-canal culvert designed to withstand future storm events, restoring the creek crossing, stabilizing canal banks, and rebuilding the towpath.

Funding for the work came from Key93 with reimbursement from FEMA.

Work to refill the canal in the area is currently ongoing.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero noted the long-term importance of the infrastructure.

“We have a unique legacy that has been passed down to the people of Bucks and Northampton Counties, which is the Delaware Canal. We are committed to making sure that it is maintained over time, and that we are able to pass it along to the next generation as a canal with a trail adjacent to it, providing residents with regular access,” Santarsiero said. “We saw the beautiful work at Lumberville — not just the new aqueduct, which is 16 feet wide and a great feat of engineering and construction, but also the pedestrian bridge that goes over that span, and how important that is to be able to keep the public engaged in this important state park.”

State Rep. Tim Brennan said the investment from the state helps restore vital community links.

“Today is about more than reopening a trail. It’s about restoring connections in a world that seems to moves faster and faster every day – between places, between our history and the present, and between our residents and the natural beauty that defines our home in Bucks County,” Brennan said. “After the devastating damage caused by Ida, some of those connections were damaged. But today, with this investment from the Shapiro administration, we have a chance to reconnect and more fully enjoy what the canal has to offer.”

State officials are still working to repair the pump that has stopped water being drawn from the river into the canal in Solebury Township from Centre Bridge through New Hope Borough.

The towpath serves as a piece of the larger 165-mile D&L Trail corridor, according to Tony Pierucci, executive director of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.

Pierucci noted that a recent economic impact analysis showed dozens of local businesses in New Hope converted more than 70,000 trail users into customers in 2024.

Susan Taylor of the Delaware Canal State Park Advisory Committee added that the projects show how DCNR is using new concepts, technology, and methods to make the canal more durable “without sacrificing its essential historic character.”

Delaware Canal State Park extends nearly 60 miles between Easton and Bristol alongside the Delaware River. It features a preserved canal, a 50-acre pond, miles of shoreline, and 11 islands, including Loors Island, Whippoorwill Island, Old Sow Island, and Hendricks Island.

Completed in 1832, the Delaware Canal connected with the Lehigh Navigation System at Easton to help fuel the growth of the anthracite coal industry. It remains the only continuously intact canal left from the early and mid-nineteenth century towpath era.