Champlain Bridge to be demolished

Local News

Related Photos

Lohr McKinstry
Lohr McKinstry

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 10, 2009

Pillar cracks so profound span could collapse, engineers say

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Tue Nov 10, 2009, 09:30 AM EST

ADDISON, Vt. — The ultimate bad news for users of the shuttered Champlain Bridge came Monday, when the historic span was declared irreparable.

At a hastily called press conference on the Vermont side of the bridge, New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said that incline cracks in the concrete bridge pillars are so severe the span is in jeopardy of collapsing into Lake Champlain.

Gee said the Crown Point bridge will be demolished and a new span built on its footprint, but he had no timetable yet for those actions.

'TOO DANGEROUS'
Complete underwater inspections of the bridge's pillars just concluded, he said, and the report that was issued was not good.

"It's the recommendation that this 80-year-old bridge cannot be rehabilitated. The bridge is unsafe for motorists. It's also unstable. We're recommending that this bridge be torn down."

The bridge was closed Oct. 16 after a preliminary underwater inspection showed cracks in the bottoms of two pillars. A complete inspection using divers was then ordered; it was completed at the end of October.

DOT Chief Engineer Robert Dennison said the final inspection report was alarming.

"I can't ensure that the bridge is not subject to sudden collapse. The foundations were constructed in the 1920s of unreinforced concrete. It's too dangerous to work around and too dangerous to repair."

DEMOLITION SOON
Eighteen inches of concrete is eroded from some of the piers below the water line, the report said, and there are large cracks extending through the supports.

Dennison said demolition should start quickly because ice conditions around the piers this winter could weaken them further.

The closest alternate land route around the bridge is a two-hour detour through Whitehall.

Ferries operating between Essex and Charlotte, Vt., and Ticonderoga and Shoreham, Vt., are now free, with the states picking up the cost.

An estimated 3,500 to 4,000 vehicles a day used the bridge, and 1,500 New York state residents had jobs in Vermont when the bridge closed.

DIG WRAPPING UP
Work to establish a free, 24-hour ferry next to the existing bridge is continuing with an archeological dig of the proposed site that concludes today.

A crew is also doing test borings of the lake bed where the ferry docks would be placed to ensure the soil can support the weight.

Gee said the temporary ferry at the bridge could be operational in a month.

He said they will try to streamline the process of building a new bridge.

"We're moving as quickly as we can."

He said they have, so far, taken a year off the construction timetable. The bridge had already been scheduled for repair or replacement in 2013.

Construction COST
A new bridge could cost about $50 million, Gee said. The federal government would pay 80 percent, and New York and Vermont would split the rest of the cost.

Vermont Secretary of Transportation David Dill agreed that a new bridge should be built as quickly as possible.

"The bridge closure significantly disrupted communities on both sides of the lake. The fastest way to return families, businesses and farms back to normal is to quickly provide them with a new bridge."

Gee said he didn't know if a new bridge would be steel, concrete or a combination of both.

"When we get further along the design process, we'll know that."

Crown Point Supervisor-elect Bethany Kosmider said she'd been briefed earlier in the day by DOT officials on the bridge findings.

"I'm pleased they're moving forward with a plan that seems to be viable."

DOT DEFENDED
Gee defended the DOT from critics who say regular bridge inspections and maintenance were not performed and could have saved the span.

"Our vigorous bridge-inspection program gave us the information to close this bridge."

Dennison said the Champlain Bridge deteriorated significantly since the last underwater inspection four years ago.

A $1 million project to replace corroded steel on the bridge was just concluding when the pillar cracks and erosion were discovered.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Local News

Governor visits North Country to promote budget package

Delights huge crowd at Plattsburgh State in promising to continue reform in Albany. INCLUDES VIDEO

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am 1 Photo 1 Video
Governor wants new teacher-evaluation system

Not everyone is happy with the idea.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am
Marble River Wind Farm work continues

The 72-tower project in the towns of Ellenburg and Clinton is expected to be operational in October.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am
Ticonderoga water system must be replaced

Income surveys are crucial to win grants for the $14 million water project, but not even 50 percent of residents and business owners have sent them in.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am
Boundaries may remain as is

Franklin County has started work on redistricting, but legislators say the population probably didn't change enough to warrant a new plan.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am
Alien invasion imminent

The 10-day Saranac Lake Winter Carnival chose an otherworldly theme for 2012, and as events rev up this weekend, it's expected some revelers may display less-than-human features.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am 1 Photo
New technology helps history, tourism, arts

Adirondack Architectural Heritage in Keeseville hosted a presentation on using Facebook as part of marketing strategies.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am 1 Photo
Of Interest: Feb. 4, 2012

Peru School Board to discuss budget; Grievance hearing on LP Central Board agenda; County Legislature session planned; ELCS Board to hear tax-cap update; Decoration Contest prizes await pickup in Town of Chazy; United Way offers SEFA signup; Adult-swim program ongoing at Chazy Central; SLCS clothing swap will be repeated in spring.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:28 am
Dictionary Project helps third-graders

The Ticonderoga Elks help donate dictionaries to kids around the region.

Posted Feb 4, 2012 2:26 am 1 Photo
February 3, 2012
Governor visits North Country to promote budget package

Delights huge crowd at Plattsburgh State in promising to continue reform in Albany. INCLUDES VIDEO

Updated Feb 3, 2012 5:51 pm 1 Video
Boundaries may remain as is

Franklin County has started work on redistricting, but legislators say the population probably didn't change enough to warrant a new plan.

Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:16 pm
Marble River Wind Farm work continues

The 72-tower project in the towns of Ellenburg and Clinton is expected to be operational in October.

Posted Feb 3, 2012 9:24 am
New technology helps history, tourism, arts

Adirondack Architectural Heritage in Keeseville hosted a presentation on using Facebook as part of marketing strategies.

Posted Feb 3, 2012 8:29 am
Body likely missing Fort Covington man

Dustin Trimm of Winthrop charged with murder.

Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am
Pipeline work on hold

A natural-gas boom in Pennsylvania increased demand for specialized workers and has doubled the expected construction costs for the 48-mile St. Lawrence Gas line through Franklin County.

Updated Feb 3, 2012 6:12 am 1 Link
Many agencies working together on waterway remediation

In Keene Valley on Thursday, officials and citizens visited a cross-weir on John's Brook designed to protect both the environment and the bridge there from future flood damage.

Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am 2 Photos
Robert Russell to the rescue

The 6-year-old Peru boy was recognized for thinking quickly to call 911 when his mother had a seizure.

Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am 1 Photo
Powerful savings— for now

National Grid is ending collection of one fee and beginning collection of a smaller one, leaving residential and business customers with lower bills in 2012.

Updated Feb 3, 2012 5:28 am