State Agency Begins Extensive Repairs in Delaware Canal Park

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has six major construction projects in the works for Delaware Canal State Park in New Hope, Solebury, and Washington Crossing. The work will require dewatering the canal through the spring fishing season, which will prevent trout stocking this year.

The projects include bridge replacements and construction, and emergency storm repairs. The work includes:

• The towpath bypass over Delaware Canal Inlet, New Hope: replacing the existing temporary crossing to facilitate access of equipment critical to canal maintenance.
• Emergency stone masonry wingwall repair, New Hope: rebuild the southeast wingwall at the bridge over the inlet channel that collapsed during a storm event on July 15, 2023.
• Emergency scour repair to Thompson Neely Access Bridge over Delaware Canal, Solebury: emergency underpinning at both abutment stem walls, and stone masonry repointing.
• Bowman’s Hill wastegate repair, Solebury: repair concrete apron of the wastegate and replace timber wastegates and repair a large portion of missing stone on southern wingwall impacted by 2018 flooding. This wastegate is a critical control point for canal water levels and in its current condition, cannot retain water adequately.
• Buckstone, David Library Bridge replacement, Washington Crossing: full replacement of the superstructure, repairs to the west abutment and replacement of the east abutment.
• Tebola Beans Bridge, Washington Crossing: full replacement of the entire structure.

The expected completion date varies for individual projects, with work ongoing throughout the spring.