Breaking News & Updates
Delaware Canal Towpath Closure Between Waterview Condominimums and Bowman’s Hill
Update July 30, 2021: 9 trees have been cleared from the towpath as of 2:00pm.
The Park maintenance crew has been hard at work and has cleared 9 trees from the towpath in the sections between New Hope and Bowman’s Hill. The towpath has reopened, however additional cleanup is still needed into the week of 8/2. Please note the possibility that additional blockages pay be present in areas not yet discovered.
July 30, 2021
Delaware Canal Towpath Closure – Several trees have been downed due to storm damage in the area of Hew Hope Borough and Solebury Township, Mile Post 23.6 to Mile Post 23, the section between Waterview Condominiums and Bowman’s Hill. Cleanup of the debris is expected to last into the week of 8/2. Trail users are cautioned to avoid this section of trail until notice is removed.
Friends of the Delaware Canal Names New Executive Director
PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Horton Photography
New Hope, PA, July 26, 2021 – The Friends of the Delaware Canal (FODC) today announced that Michael D. Ginder has been appointed executive director of the organization. Susan Taylor has retired after 30 years in that role.
Brett Webber, president of the FODC, said, “The Friends of the Delaware Canal is excited about Michael’s appointment. We look forward to working with him and building on Susan’s many accomplishments.”
“The Canal is such a vital part of our region’s history, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to join the Friends as the next executive director,” said Ginder. “It will be exciting to work with the passionate individuals who are stewards of the canal, expanding our membership base, and encouraging area residents and visitors to spend time along the Canal.”
Ginder, a New Hope resident, was previously director of Business and Employment Services for the Arc Mercer. He has also served as executive director of the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford, NJ, where he was responsible for the strategic planning, financial well-being and fundraising for the organization.
FODC works in partnership with the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of State Parks and Delaware Canal State Park to undertake restoration projects that rescue significant Canal structures. FODC has restored five of the six historically authentic camelback bridges and is collaborating with the state to ensure an accurate restoration of Spahr’s Bridge in Upper Black Eddy, where work has already begun.
In 2022, FODC will mark the 40th anniversary of its founding in 1982 with plans underway to celebrate in communities along the entire length of the Canal. The Canal, which runs nearly 60 miles from Easton to Bristol, PA, is watched over by volunteer FODC canal tenders who inspect the towpaths, pick up trash, clear branches and report problems throughout the year.
The FODC mission is to sustain a unique link to the country’s national heritage, protect beautiful and diverse natural areas, provide recreational and educational opportunities and enable the Canal to serve as a community and economic asset.
MEDIA: You may download the entire press release and photo here.
Towpath Closures Underneath the I-295/Scudder Falls Bridge Project
June 25, 2021
INTERMITTENT TRAIL CLOSURE: Beginning July the towpath may be closed in the area of I-95/I-295, Scudder Falls Bridge, intermittently through end of July 2020. Closures may occur between 7am-5pm Monday through Friday; the trail will be open on weekends. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) will be demolishing the existing bridge over the canal and/or conducting work on the new bridge overhead during these closures. For additional information please visit the DRJTBC website at www.drjtbc.org/project/
Pedestrian Staircase at Centre Bridge to be Closed June 14 – 18
Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge’s Pedestrian Staircase Scheduled to Close for Four Days Next Week
96-Hour Closure to Allow for Epoxy-Coating Reapplication on New Concrete Steps Adjacent to Delaware Canal Towpath
SOLEBURY, PA – The Centre Bridge-Stockton Toll-Supported Bridge’s staircase to the Delaware Canal towpath (PA side) is scheduled to be inaccessible for 96 consecutive hours between early Monday and early Friday next week, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today.
The staircase needs to be closed from 7 a.m. Monday, June 14, to 7 a.m. Friday, June 18, so a new epoxy coating can be applied to its bottom concrete steps. The epoxy has a long drying/curing time, accounting for the extended shutdown of public access. As with any construction project of this nature, the scheduled closure is subject to change due to weather, emergencies and other considerations.
The staircase is frequently used by bicyclists and pedestrians as a connection between the bridge’s pedestrian walkway and the canal towpath below the bridge’s Pennsylvania abutment. The Commission is urging bicyclists and pedestrians travel to plan alternate routes while the staircase is out of service.
Delaware River connection points between Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal towpath and New Jersey’s Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath are the Lumberville-Raven Rock Toll-Supported Pedestrian Bridge to the north and the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge’s walkway to the south.
The Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge connects the Centre Bridge section of Solebury Township, PA. with the Borough of Stockton, N.J. The 94-year-old steel Warren-truss bridge carried an average of 4,500 vehicles per day in 2020.
Upcoming Towpath Closure in Upper Black Eddy
June 11, 2021
TOWPATH CLOSURE STARTING TUESDAY JULY 6TH AT SPHARS CAMMELBACK BRIDGE, UPPER BLACK EDDY (MILE 42.70 TO MILE 41.84): The towpath will be CLOSED between Berm Lane Bridge and Lodi Hill Road in Upper Black Eddy starting 7/6/2021. The purpose of this closure is for the cataloging and deconstruction of the Sphar’s Camelback Bridge. This bridge is one of six remaining authentic camelback bridges that can be found along the entire 58.9 mile length of the Canal and they are an iconic structure to the two-hundred year old National Historic Landmark. The purpose of this deconstruction is to prepare the site for future bridge abutment repairs and the eventual rehabilitation of the superstructure. Trail users should turn around at the closure and NOT attempt to get by it, as heavy equipment will be blocking the towpath and for other safety concerns. The park anticipates this closure to be intermittent in nature over the next 60 days; however, this is a tentative timeline subject to being lessened or extended. Upon access being restored this advisory will be removed.
Towpath Closure on June 8
June 7, 2021
owpath Closure Tomorrow. Canal Level Dropped in North
June 4, 2021
The level of the Canal has been dropped from Easton to Erwinna because a very large hole developed in the Canal in Raubsville. The repair of the hole with flowable fill is scheduled for the week of June 7.
Rewatering Progress
May 25, 2021
Last week the Delaware Canal State Park staff opened the bypass gate at Easton to create a maintenance level of water in the northern end of the Canal. There is currently water as far south as Lodi Hill Road at the Tinicum Township/Upper Black Eddy line. Tomorrow the Park staff plans to allow the water to start flowing southward to the waste gate at the Golden Pheasant Inn. The water will be released at this location until the Tinicum Aqueduct lining is repaired and several sinkholes are filled.
Stairs at Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge To Close May 3
On Monday, May 3
, the staircase connecting the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge’s pedestrian walkway and Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal towpath will be closed for 24 hours, starting 7 a.m. The closure will allow for epoxy coating work at the base of the staircase. Raindate: Tuesday, May 4.
Repair Work Underway North of Woody’s Bridge
April 21, 2021
Repairs to the canal prism are in the final stage just north of Woody’s Camelback Bridge just north of Mile Marker 54 in Raubsville. The towpath will be closed while work is underway. 
