Fall Creek Aqueduct

The Fall Creek Aqueduct is an arch bridge carrying the Indiana Central Canal over Fall Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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The Fall Creek Aqueduct is an arch bridge carrying the Indiana Central Canal over Fall Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana. Built in 1904, it replaced an earlier structure that had been destroyed by flooding.

History

In 1835, while surveying the Indianapolis Division of the canal (which ran from Broad Ripple to Port Royal, later known as Waverly), engineers recognized the Fall Creek crossing as a major challenge. ¹ They proposed an aqueduct with three spans of 32 feet each. Lacking quality stone in the area, the piers, abutments, and trunk (the channel through which the canal crossed the aqueduct) were planned to be built of wood. Aside from the lock at Market Street, all canal locks and culverts were initially slated for timber construction.

Following the passage of the Internal Improvement Act in January 1836, contracts for the Indianapolis Division were awarded by October. ¹ By December 1837, J.L. Williams, principal engineer of the Internal Improvement Program, reported to the state legislature that the foundation for the Fall Creek Aqueduct was in place, and construction on the abutments and piers had begun. The aqueduct was completed in 1838.

In late April 1839, water was introduced to the Indianapolis Division of the canal through headgates at Broad Ripple. ¹ Later that summer, water was flowing south of the Market Street lock into the section south of downtown.

Although initially successful, construction on the Central Canal and other Internal Improvement projects soon halted as the state faced financial collapse. ¹ While portions of the canal remained unfinished or were never started, the section from Broad Ripple to downtown Indianapolis was completed, with work near completion to Waverly except for some locks.

Structural Failures

After the financial collapse, the aqueduct continued to serve its primary purpose, providing waterpower and limited boat traffic. ¹ However, the wood structure quickly began to decay, and by January 1847, a flood severely damaged it. This led to a rebuilding contract, which included repairs to the headgates at Broad Ripple and other breaches north of Fall Creek. The aqueduct was scheduled for completion by August 1, but structural concerns persisted, and in 1858, it was reported to be in poor condition. It failed again on May 22, 1870, resulting in bank washouts and an estimated $8,000 to $10,000 in damage. Operations relying on canal waterpower, including local mills, were forced to shut down, leaving 80 to 100 workers unemployed.

In 1869, the Water Works Company of Indianapolis was incorporated. ¹ Ownership of the canal was transferred to this company in late 1870, and the aqueduct was repaired and rebuilt with stone abutments. The new aqueduct, 30 feet wide and 185 feet long, featured a central truss for added support at the request of the Water Works.

Despite these repairs, the aqueduct continued to deteriorate. Within five years, a crack appeared in the central truss, prompting further maintenance. ¹ By the 1880s, the privately owned Water Works Company failed, and its assets were acquired in 1881 by the Indianapolis Water Company. The canal and aqueduct became critical components of the city’s water supply, powering turbines that drove pumps to distribute water from the Washington Street Station.

Replacements

In April 1882, the Indianapolis Water Company announced plans to replace the aqueduct with a wood Howe through-truss bridge constructed by the Sprague Company of Detroit. ¹ The new structure was completed by August, with the canal’s “trunk” suspended below the trusses, supported by stone abutments and piers.

In 1891, the aqueduct was replaced again, this time by an iron Pratt through-truss structure built by the Massillon Bridge Company. ¹ However, on March 26, 1904, heavy floods caused the center pier of this aqueduct to collapse.

The Indianapolis Water Company then initiated plans for a new aqueduct built of reinforced concrete, designed by Lewis K. Davis of Pittsburgh. ¹ The new design featured four 60-foot arches, reinforced concrete abutments, three piers in the creek, and spillways for excess water at the arch peaks. Construction began in the summer of 1904, with completion in May 1905.

Recent Years

The Central Canal was designated an American Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association in 1971. ² By 1976, the Indianapolis Water Company deeded the canal south of 16th Street to the city of Indianapolis, and in 2011, ownership transferred to Citizens Energy Group.

In 2022, Wiss Janney Elstner Associates (WJE) assessed the Fall Creek Aqueduct’s condition using a combination of non-destructive evaluation methods, destructive testing, laboratory analysis, and other techniques. ³ This assessment enabled WJE to offer repair recommendations and cost estimates. Rehabilitation work on the aqueduct began in October 2022, involving the installation of a center partition wall to maintain water flow during construction and a complete reconstruction of the aqueduct channel. ⁴ The project was completed in February 2024.

As of 2024, the Fall Creek Aqueduct remains a crucial part of Indianapolis’s water supply, channeling approximately 60% of the city’s water over Fall Creek to treatment plants further south. ¹ Its robust construction has enabled it to withstand floods, including the significant 1913 flood that destroyed many other bridges in the area.