The Medina Culvert

The Medina Culvert. . , The first and only road culvert ever built under the Erie Canal passes directly below here. The culvert was built in 1823 during construction of Clinton's Ditch. Its cornerstone, which still exists, is part of the foundation of the Vernon Toussaint home at 3704 Culvert Road. , The original culvert was dismantled in 1854 and rebuilt in 1855 on the Enlarged Canal's new alignment nearby. Forty years later it was substantially altered during the Nine Million Dollar Improvement of 1895. , The construction of the New York State Barge Canal (1905-1918) widened and refaced the road culvert and, however unknowingly, conserved this unique structure, preserving its historical significance for future generations. Cars and trucks continueto [sic] use the Medina Culvert today. [caption] Reconstruction of the south facing of the Medina Culvert in 1908. , Culverts , Culverts were designed and built throughout the Erie Canal system to channel streams and stormwater under the canal and into the river. This avoided the possibility of undermining the canal or flooding its banks. Essentially, culverts served as cut stone water drains with an opening at either end, although some, like the one at Solay, were double culverts. The largest exceeded 150 feet in length. [caption] View today of the entrance to the Medina Culvert. For more information please visit www.nyscanals.gov. , [captions] Engineer's plan of the Arch Culvert, a cut stone culvert from the Enlarged Erie Canal. The dive culvert at Port Byron, New York. Culvert at Chenango, 1855. A double culvert at Solvay.