According to an 1854 report of the State Engineer and Surveyor on the Canals of the State of New York, work on the bridge was put under contract during that year as part of the Black River Canal, a 35-mile canal between Rome and Lyons Falls that opened in 1850. A multi-way bridge is a bridge with three or more distinct and separate spans, where one end of each span meets at a common point near the centre of the bridge. For this reason, multi-way. The bridge, dating back to the 14th century, stands as an enduring testament to medieval engineering and design. Unlike other bridges which have two entry-exit points, three-way bridges have three entry-exit points.