Bridge rally draws crowds to Albany

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Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Barbara Brassard speaks at Tuesday’s Champlain Bridge rally on the steps of the Capitol in Albany. Behind her are some of the more than 50 people who showed up to protest the closure of the historic bridge and call for the state to do more to save other bridges. Sen. Betty Little is at right and Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward at left. (Photo/Janet Denney)

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November 10, 2009

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Tue Nov 10, 2009, 09:01 PM EST

ALBANY — Dozens of local officials and community members from Essex County went to the State Capitol Tuesday to rally support for state funding of crucial bridge and roadway projects.

The closure of the Champlain Bridge, which connects Crown Point with Chimney Point, Vt., has affected thousands of lives, Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury) said at the rally.

“The North Country communities I represent are reeling because of the bridge closure,” she said in a news release.

“Thank goodness no one was killed as a result of the bridge failing. But the closure has resulted in a state of emergency having to be declared and costly steps being taken to mitigate the financial impact on families and businesses. This is much more than an inconvenience; it is a real hardship. The question many of us are wondering is where is the next Crown Point bridge?”

BAD BRIDGES

State Department of Transportion Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee stood in front of the Champlain bridge Monday afternoon and said it can’t be repaired and must be demolished to make way for a new bridge.

The bridge has been closed since Oct. 16, when concrete erosion and incline cracks were discovered in its piers. Gee said the damage is too severe to be repaired.

Besides Little, Sens. Hugh Farley, Roy McDonald and Thomas Libous and Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward (R-Willsboro) were at the rally, which was organized by the Albany-based Crisis Program.

A DOT report issued in May listed hundreds of bridges in need of attention. The Champlain Bridge had a safety rating of 3.38. In the report, 110 bridges had a rating the same or worse than the Champlain Bridge, which is now deemed too dangerous for traffic.

One of those is the Batchellerville Bridge in Saratoga County, Farley said in the release.

“This bridge plays a crucial role in the regional economy and in the lives of full-time and seasonal residents. The current restrictions on the bridge, not to mention the threat of future closure, present serious public safety concerns.”

STRESS AND STRUGGLE

Sayward said the shuttering of the Champlain Bridge has hit the North Country hard. Up to 4,000 vehicles a day traveled the bridge, and more than 1,500 New York residents held jobs in Vermont when the bridge abruptly closed.

“People are struggling to get back and forth from work, creating long, stressful days,” she said in the release.

“Farmers need to tend to their animals; people require medical services. Residents have been inconvenienced long enough. With inclement weather coming upon us, we must act now. We are looking to the governor to find funds so we can resolve this sooner than later.”

FUTURE IMPACT

Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Barbara Brassard attended the rally in Albany.

“Without the Champlain Bridge and normal traffic patterns, local businesses found an immediate decrease in business,” she said. “Their losses range from 30 to 90 percent. This is a huge impact to our struggling businesses that may not survive.”

Brassard said the effects of the bridge’s closing will only get worse.

“The long-term impact would surface next summer, when the tourists normally arrive. Without the bridge to channel visitors here, we could be facing an even more devastating impact and more businesses closing. Jobs will be lost, and storefronts will close. This is a hit that our region cannot afford and could be the death of our area as we knew it.”

The state has promised a free, 24-hour ferry next to the Champlain Bridge, to open sometime in December. In the meantime, three other ferries in the area are now free, with New York and Vermont picking up the tab.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at:

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com