Ossining Celebrates: Double Arch Bridge and Tunnel Preserved for Another Hundred Years

The Ossining Bicentennial Committee and the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct recently held a festive celebration to commemorate the completion of the Double Arch Bridge and Aqueduct tunnel repair and restoration. Preservation efforts, which coincide with the Village of Ossining’s Bicentennial Celebration, have ensured the National Historic Landmark’s safety and beauty for another hundred years.

The celebration, held at the Weir Chamber on the Bridge, featured live music by the KJ Denhert Band, just back from a tour in Europe, as well as an exhibit of both historic and up-to-the-minute photos of the restoration. Attendees enjoyed a Double Arch Cake, specially designed for the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, along with Croton Highballs -- the same combination of lemon juice-spiked water served to New York City residents in 1842 to celebrate the arrival of Croton Water. Guided tours inside the Aqueduct tunnel afforded guests a rare opportunity to see the inner workings of the weir, which controlled the flow of the water.

Funded by an allocation from the State of New York, the completed bridgework included reappointed stonework, new piping that collects and re-directs water into a new water collection weir, re-graded walkways with waterproof membranes and new paving stones as well as new lighting and steps in the Weir Chamber. 

The Village of Ossining’s Bicentennial Celebration is made possible with major support from Ginsburg Development Companies in collaboration with the Ossining Arts Council, Ossining Historical Society and the County of Westchester. Significant additional funding has been provided by General Electric Company, Emigrant Bank, Avalon Bay, Cedar Manor, Inc., Dorsey Funeral Home, Open Door Family Medical Center, Inc., Hudson Valley Bank, Bethel Homes & Services, Solomon Organization, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc., Mahopac National Bank and Club Fit.

For more information on the Double Arch Bridge and Aqueduct tunnel, including the Friends’ efforts to ensure the historic greenway remains unspoiled in perpetuity, visit www.adqueduct.org. To learn more about the Village of Ossining’s upcoming bicentennial events, please visit www.celebrateossining.com, www.villageofossining.org, or contact the Village Manager’s Office at 914-941-3554.

About the Village of Ossining