Lake Champlain Bridge Center Arch Span Lift Scheduled To Begin Tomorrow, Friday Morning

ALBANY, NY (08/25/2011)(readMedia)-- The lift of the Lake Champlain Bridge center arch span is scheduled to commence tomorrow, Friday morning, August 26.

NYSDOT expects the transport process to begin at sunrise with lift work extending into the late afternoon or early evening on Friday.

· The arch will be floated on two barges and taken by tugboat from its construction site at Velez Marine in Port Henry to the bridge site during a two- to four-hour period.

· The lift is expected to last between four and eight hours.

The main navigational channel through the center span will be closed as the arch is lifted into place and secured. Marine traffic will be directed through an alternative navigational channel during this time period.

The ferry connecting New York State to Vermont will remain open and operational at all times.

There are three vantage points from which to view the operation on the New York side of Lake Champlain:

· A public parking lot adjacent to Velez Marine in Port Henry where the arch was constructed. This is where the arch will leave shore and begin its journey to the bridge site. This will occur at dawn.

· Crown Point State Historic Site and Essex County Visitors Center, near the foot of the bridge on NY Route 185.

· The State Department of Environmental Conservation campground, also on Route 185, where a covered pier provides excellent views of the bridge.

Free parking is available at the historic site. Parking is limited in these areas and no additional parking accommodations are available due to the need to keep NY Route 185, VT routes 17 and 125, and the ferry access roads passable at all times.

The lift can also be viewed at NYSDOT's Lake Champlain Bridge webcam page: https://www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge/bridgecam. The webcam takes periodic still shots of the construction site.

The operation could be postponed or delayed due to excessive winds or lightning.

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