His older brother was civil engineer and architect Samuel Honeyman Kneass.
The younger Kneass attended Rensselaer Institute, where he graduated in 1839 at the age of 18[1] with highest honors.
He helped conduct the preliminary surveys, and supervised construction of a section of the line, including several bridges and the Tussy Mountain Tunnel," wrote Adam Levine, a historical consultant for the Philadelphia Water Department.
[2] From 1855 until 1872, Kneass was chief engineer and surveyor of the consolidated city of Philadelphia.
Among other things, he "re-designed Philadelphia's drainage system, designed new bridges to cross the Schuylkill River, and set up the extension of the City's streetcar system," according to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia.