Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct

The Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct crosses the creek with four stone arches and features a wooden channel bottom that carried water for boats to pass through. Its long, sturdy structure spans the entire valley to connect both sides.

Built in 1841 as part of the first expansion of the Erie Canal, it used marine cement technology for durability. A full restoration completed in 2009 brought it back to working condition after years of decline.

The structure demonstrates how 19th-century engineers solved the problem of moving water and boats across a creek valley using stone and wood, creating something that still invites people to walk across and understand how canals worked.

Access is available through Thompson Road with parking areas nearby and walking paths leading to and around the structure. The site is open year-round, and exploring it on foot gives you the best sense of its scale and construction.

Of the 32 aqueducts originally built during the Erie Canal expansion, this is the only one that was restored to full working condition and remains navigable for boats. Its continued operation today makes it a rare surviving example of how 19th-century engineers moved canals across obstacles.