New York State and Vermont Celebrate Immense Progress One Year After Closure of Lake Champlain Bridge

ALBANY, NY (10/16/2010)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee and Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary David Dill today marked the one year anniversary of the Lake Champlain Bridge closure on October 16 of last year, noting the significant progress made to provide travelers, especially those located in the vicinity of the bridge and dependent on transportation across the lake in their daily lives, with a link across Lake Champlain between Crown Point, NY, and Addison, VT. Today, the temporary ferry service is still in place providing round-the-clock transportation across the lake at no cost to passengers, and the underwater structures for the new bridge are nearly completed.

Immediately following the bridge's closure, New York and Vermont reached out to the surrounding communities through a series of public meetings to gather feedback and solicit input from residents and business owners on both sides of the lake. The states quickly began implementing the communities' clear vision for restoring the corridor with a temporary ferry in the vicinity of the bridge and a brand new Lake Champlain Bridge at the same location. Community participation was crucial to choosing the site for the temporary ferry and for picking the design of the replacement bridge.

NYSDOT Acting Commissioner Gee said, "The New York State Department of Transportation, working with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, took the necessary steps to assure the safety of the traveling public when we closed the Lake Champlain Bridge. This bridge was an important piece of transportation infrastructure that connected people with employment, education and medical care. Responding to the need for this transportation link, NYSDOT and Vermont moved immediately to restore the connection with temporary ferry service while the permanent replacement bridge was being designed. I thank all of our partners for their hard work and dedication on this project, and I especially thank the communities on both sides of Lake Champlain for their input and patience as we build a new, state-of-the-art bridge to replace the former historic structure in this location."

VTrans Secretary Dill said "Opening the temporary ferry as quickly as possible was key to restoring the lives of both New Yorkers and Vermonters back to as close to normal as possible given the circumstances, and I am heartened at to hear from both residents and business owners that family life and economic vitality on both sides of the lake has rebounded significantly since the first ferry set sail. But as welcome as the ferry has been, we also realize that nothing short of opening the new bridge will completely restore our communities. To that end, everyone can rest assured that bridge construction will continue nonstop through the winter so that we can reestablish this vital economic, social and public-safety link as quickly as possible."

Cracking in the bridge's support piers prompted the closure and, if left untreated, could have led to structural failure and possible collapse, putting motorists and pedestrians in serious danger. By immediately closing the bridge, New York and Vermont were able to ensure the safety of the traveling public.

The original Lake Champlain Bridge was demolished on December 28, 2009. While planning the complex demolition, the states also worked on building infrastructure to accommodate a temporary ferry. The ferry, carrying motorists across Lake Champlain every 15 minutes, opened in January of 2010. In the meantime, the two states worked on designing a replacement bridge to be located in the footprint of the old bridge. Several public meetings were held in New York and Vermont and the public was invited to vote in person and on-line on their preferred bridge design. The publicly preferred design - a Modified Network Tied Arch Bridge built of steel with an arch along the center span - was ultimately chosen to replace the Lake Champlain Bridge.

Construction on the new bridge began in June, a short eight months after closing the bridge to traffic. Work has progressed on-schedule, with construction of bridge abutments and piers under way. Fabrication of the steel bridge members is progressing off-site. The project is on track to be completed next September, as scheduled.

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