Lake Champlain Bridge to be demolished

From PressRepublican11/10/09
Published November 09, 2009 11:16 pm - Bridge at Crown Point declared unrepairable, will be demolished as soon as possible.
Champlain Bridge to be demolished
Pillar cracks so profound span could collapse, engineers say
By LOHR McKINSTRY
Staff Writer
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.

May we have new State holiday marking the date of the destruction of the bridge?
It could be called "Bridge Blasting Day", and would be commemorated by telling certain irresponsible people to "Go Jump in the Lake!" -and by actually throwing the aforesaid people into the lake.

I am filled with many different emotions at the news that the CP bridge is beyond repair! I am profoundly saddened that this beautiful bridge that has been a part of my life for nearly 60 years is going to be torn down. It has occupied a big part of my heart. Growing up in Ticonderoga we traveled over that bridge countless times heading to Burlington to shop or for dinner, or whatever.

Agreeing with "bill", this landmark's demise is because of the irresponsibility of overseers from both Vermont and New York state. SOMEONE should have been in a position of stewardship over this essential passageway long before it got to a stage of crumbling and decay beyond repair.

I know that it's going to be a very sad day for me, and I'm sure for thousands of others, when that historic bridge comes crashing down into Lake Champlain. I shudder to imagine what the future new bridge will look like but I so hope the designers will keep in mind the understated elegance of the bridge as it stands today.

A former Ti girl with a sad heart.

The bridge has been in bad shape for twenty years or more. Now it is a big surprise to the engineers that it is falling apart. I guess the only thing to be thankful for is that it has not fallen with a bunch of vehicles on it. I will also be sad to see it go due to the neglect it has had. Lets hope that the rest of the bridges in NY are being mantained better,Makes me wonder every time I go over or under one.

AMAZING!!!!

I saw this on the news. If anyone doubted the danger before, let me show you MY cement pad that NO STEEL/REEBAR was used.

Everytime I look out, I just shake my head.

People STILL don't believe that they didn't use reebar to further shore up the bridge (back in "the day").

IT'S REALLY A WONDER THAT IT HASN'T COLLAPSED ALREADY.

Historical???

Well, here's a suggestion......

Pull the Plaque off the bridge, a portion of the actual bridge (literally where you could be in two states at the same time), do it ASAP before the hard freeze comes, and then......

DEMO THE MUTHAGRANGER.

Y'all know what I'm saying.

Matter of fact, let one of those BOZO APA GRANOLA EATERS DO IT.

NOW THAT'S A VIDEO I'D BUY.

GIT R DUN!!!

it's truly a shame that the landmark had been neglected for so long. It truly was a piece of local history.
I am sure that in it's place, the two states will install some soul-less cookie cutter span that has the personality of a loaf of wonder bread.
Hooray for state mismanagement.

they are blowing that bitch up today!

yeah, I was down there today. They blew it to bits. Video I shot was posted on you tube. Check it out. Blew it to smithereens. Bye bye Lake Champlain bridge.

peg leg wrote:

yeah, I was down there today. They blew it to bits. Video I shot was posted on you tube. Check it out. Blew it to smithereens. Bye bye Lake Champlain bridge.

I couldn't find the video on YouTube. Can you post the link?

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

peg leg wrote:

yeah, I was down there today. They blew it to bits. Video I shot was posted on you tube. Check it out. Blew it to smithereens. Bye bye Lake Champlain bridge.

Hey NUMBNUTS......

You put on demo of the JAMESTOWN BRIDGE......

Lake Champlain Bridge hasn't been demo'd yet.

Think Our Bridge Demo might qualify as a State/County Holiday??

Interesting though.

I think I have a solution for those people that can't get to work in vermont when the lake freezes over! why don't they set up a couple of those Circus Cannons and shoot them across the lake to vermont? it'll only take about 3 minutes to reach your destination ( unless its windy) lmfaorotff

a used nuclear submarine could go under the ice

[QUOT
You have to be from Ti You idiot

I just attended a very informative Lake Champlain Bridge PAC meeting. I'd
like to share the high lights:

* The bridge will be demolished. There is a meeting on Monday to discuss
some environmental concerns. After that they should have a timeline. The
hope is that this would occur prior to ice forming which means it needs to
happen fast. It will be widely and broadly communicated when it does
happen.
* I have a copy of the safety assessment report if anyone would like to
see it.
* Basically the bridge was not designed properly. The pier deterioration
gets worse with every freeze/thaw cycle.
* The bridge will be replaced in the exact same location. Timeline is 24
months. 6 months for the design and regulatory process and 18 months for
construction. There was a loud and passionate discussion on this timeline
and the PAC voted that the timeline needed to be expedited.
* Regarding the design of the new bridge, the PAC would like to have the
public involved. Not sure yet of the process. Suggestions were made to
have a website where people could vote, town hall meetings, etc. This is a
topic for the next meeting which will be in a few weeks.
* The agencies are working with the existing ferry services to keep them
running as long as possible. Including providing to the Ti ferry "ice
breaker" boats
* We were presented an option of a vehicular ferry located about 300'
south of the bridge which would take 2 months to construct; or a floating
bridge that would take 6 months to construct and cost big $'s. The PAC
voted to go with the ferry option. A long discussion on the 2 month
timeframe and could it be expedited. I asked if the ferry could
accommodate log trucks and the answer is yes. There would be 2 boats with
2 slips. Time to cross would be 10 minutes and the ferry could accommodate
around 40 vehicles. We inquired about 24/7 service and that is still being
discussed.

info wrote:

I just attended a very informative Lake Champlain Bridge PAC meeting. I'd
like to share the high lights:
* The bridge will be demolished. There is a meeting on Monday to discuss
some environmental concerns. After that they should have a timeline. The
hope is that this would occur prior to ice forming which means it needs to
happen fast. It will be widely and broadly communicated when it does
happen.
* I have a copy of the safety assessment report if anyone would like to
see it.
* Basically the bridge was not designed properly. The pier deterioration
gets worse with every freeze/thaw cycle.
* The bridge will be replaced in the exact same location. Timeline is 24
months. 6 months for the design and regulatory process and 18 months for
construction. There was a loud and passionate discussion on this timeline
and the PAC voted that the timeline needed to be expedited.
* Regarding the design of the new bridge, the PAC would like to have the
public involved. Not sure yet of the process. Suggestions were made to
have a website where people could vote, town hall meetings, etc. This is a
topic for the next meeting which will be in a few weeks.
* The agencies are working with the existing ferry services to keep them
running as long as possible. Including providing to the Ti ferry "ice
breaker" boats
* We were presented an option of a vehicular ferry located about 300'
south of the bridge which would take 2 months to construct; or a floating
bridge that would take 6 months to construct and cost big $'s. The PAC
voted to go with the ferry option. A long discussion on the 2 month
timeframe and could it be expedited. I asked if the ferry could
accommodate log trucks and the answer is yes. There would be 2 boats with
2 slips. Time to cross would be 10 minutes and the ferry could accommodate
around 40 vehicles. We inquired about 24/7 service and that is still being
discussed.

Thanks you so much for providing this update on the bridge. It is very informative and I would like to request tht you publish followups and especiall any news of the date for bridge demolition. Thanks!!!

tshadowknows06 wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey NUMBNUTS......
You put on demo of the JAMESTOWN BRIDGE......
Lake Champlain Bridge hasn't been demo'd yet.
Think Our Bridge Demo might qualify as a State/County Holiday??
Interesting though.

Really??? What gave it away? The caption on the top of the video? Thanks for clearing it up for us all!

We can combine the terrorist trials in NYC with the bridge blow-up:
Simply strap the terrorists to said bridge, and fly a radio-controlled 747 fully laden with fuel and explosives and fly`er into said bridge. It`s a 2-for-1`er

I think they should put up a suspension bridge. They could build a tower on each shoreline, and then put cables across, with a deck suspended on the cables. Think about it, no fooling around with the piers in the water! Barkeaters should love this idea, probably cheaper too! what do you guys think?

Suspenders won`t hold up my pants, let alone a 6000 ton bridge