Roebling project wraps up

Both sides satisfied with the impressive structure

By SANDY LONG

MINISINK FORD, NY — When Neil Rippingale first laid eyes upon the flood-damaged retaining wall on the New York side of the Roebling Aqueduct Bridge, he had a clear vision of what the final project would look like. That vision came to completion last week as the crew installed the wall’s final capstone and prepared to depart for their homes in Kentucky, New Hampshire and, even, Scotland.

Rippingale, master mason and training program manager for the Dry Stone Conservancy, said that the new wall stands 22 feet high and contains 210 tons of stone in its front face, with an additional 400 pounds behind its façade. The heaviest stone used in the project weighs nearly three tons.

The project was completed in 35 work days, with the coldest day registering a minus-ten-degree wind chill factor.

Rippingale praised the “fantastic work ethic” of two National Park Service employees who trained with the crew on the project. “They even came on their own time,” he said. “That speaks volumes.” The Dry Stone Conservancy has imparted skills to 240 trainees in 2007.

Dave Forney, superintendent of the National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic Recreational River, lauded the exceptional quality of the work and the team’s dedication to the project. Forney will retire from his post in early 2008 (see story, below) but expressed his desire to see the partnership continue between the two organizations.

Like the stone that gathers no moss, Rippingale will roll back to Kentucky, then Virginia before heading home to Scotland for the holidays. Then it’s off to projects in Tennessee and Ohio.

Gesturing toward a photo on a nearby placard depicting John Augustus Roebling, who began building the bridge in 1847, Rippingale smiled and added, “I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done.”

To see images of the project in its various stages, visit the Dry Stone Conservancy’s website at www.drystone.org/gallery/album27?page=1.