After 1848, 50-ton canal boats crossed above the Delaware River at this site on a suspension aqueduct designed and built by chief canal engineer Russel F. Lord and civil engineer John A. Roebling to link the Pennsylvania and New York segments of the Delaware & Hudson Canal. The aqueduct, now a vehicular bridge, relieved a 20-year bottleneck on the Delaware River at Lackawaxen. By carrying boats above the river, it reduced crossing time and made the D&H Canal more competitive with railroads and other canals. Canal boats moved through six feet of water while mules and their drivers crossed the river on elevated towpaths.