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TICONDEROGA — High waters have forced the termination of one of the three ferries serving Champlain Valley residents since the closure of the Champlain Bridge.
The Westport-Basin Harbor, Vt., pedestrian ferry has shut down for the season due to a significant increase in the level of Lake Champlain.
The New York State Department of Transportation and Vermont Agency of Transportation have been subsidizing ferry travel, and the Essex-Charlotte, Vt., and Ticonderoga-Shoreham, Vt., ferries will continue to run.
The Champlain Bridge connecting Crown Point and Addison, Vt., was declared unsafe and closed Oct. 16 after inspections found severe cracks and erosion in its concrete pillars.
The Westport pedestrian ferry closed Tuesday because high water submerged its docks so that safe operations for passengers and crew couldn't be assured.
The independent Ticonderoga Ferry normally closes at the end of October, but its owners agreed to stay open as long as possible while a temporary 24-hour ferry is set up next to the Champlain Bridge.
That free ferry will open by the end of the year, according to the office of Gov. David Paterson.
BRIDGE DESIGNS
On Saturday, the State Department of Transportation will reveal at least four designs for the new Champlain Bridge at a series of meetings in Ticonderoga.
One of the designs includes arches that resemble the shape of the 80-year-old bridge, which has been closed since mid-October.
The meetings are at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Ticonderoga Community Building auditorium on Montcalm Street. The snow date is Sunday at the same times.
"We will have renderings of the different alternatives so people can ask questions and weigh in with their opinions," DOT spokeswoman Carol Breen said in a statement.
Residents of New York and Vermont who used the bridge have been invited to the public meeting to look at the conceptual drawings and select the one they like.
The Public Advisory Committee on the bridge will then review the public comments before making a recommendation on the final design to the Vermont and New York transportation agencies, said John Zicconi, outreach coordinator for VTrans.
DOT Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said in a statement that construction of the new bridge has been made a priority by the states.
"We want to ensure that the new bridge is built as quickly as possible and that it is aesthetically compatible within the context of the community and the environment."
Construction has been estimated at 22 months once a contractor is selected. The cost could be $67 million for a conventional design and more for a better-looking bridge.
DEMOLITION
Meanwhile, DOT says it has received the first of the permits needed to demolish the historic bridge.
Preparation for demolition will begin next week, and DOT is expected to award the bid as soon as possible. Seven firms submitted bids for blowing up the old span.
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
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