Champlain Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°01′57″N73°25′24″W / 44.03250°N 73.42333°W |
Carries | Two lanes of NY 185 and VT 17 |
Crosses | Lake Champlain |
Locale | Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont |
Other name(s) | Crown Point Bridge |
Maintained by | NYSDOT and VTrans |
ID number | 5521180 |
Characteristics | |
Design | Continuous truss (combination of through truss, deck truss, and deck plate girders) |
Total length | 14 spans totaling 2,184 feet (666 m) |
Width | 26.1 feet (8.0 m) |
Longest span | 434 feet (132 m) |
History | |
Construction cost | $1,149,032.63 [1] |
Opened | August 26, 1929 |
Closed | October 16, 2009 (closure) December 28, 2009 (demolition) |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 3,510 (2007) |
Toll | 1929–1987 |
Location | |
The Champlain Bridge (also known as the Crown Point Bridge) was a 2,184-foot-long (666 m) vehicular bridge in the United States that traversed Lake Champlain between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont. It was opened to traffic in 1929 as a toll bridge; the tolls were removed in 1987. The bridge was closed due to safety concerns on October 16, 2009, and was taken down by explosive demolition on December 28, 2009. It was replaced by a new bridge which opened on November 7, 2011. [2]
It was one of two bridges connecting New York and Vermont across Lake Champlain. Ferries provide connections between the states at other points along the lake. The bridge connected NY 185 in New York to VT 17 in Vermont. The half-mile, two-lane, continuous truss bridge was jointly owned and maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation and the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
The bridge crossed Lake Champlain at a point 12 miles (19 km) north of Ticonderoga, New York, and 32 miles (51 km) south of Burlington, Vermont. It connected NY 185 in Crown Point, New York, to VT 17 in Chimney Point, Vermont. It stood at one of only two bridge sites that link New York and Vermont across the lake. The other bridge is on U.S. Route 2, spanning between Rouses Point, New York and Alburgh, Vermont, near the Canada–United States border.
The bridge opened to traffic on August 26, 1929. [3] It was one of the first continuous truss road bridges built in the nation, and exhibited characteristics of both a through truss and deck truss design.[ citation needed ] The bridge was tolled [4] until September 22, 1987. [5] The bridge was rehabilitated in 1991. Work performed at that time included the replacement of the deck and railings, the repainting of the steel trusses, and the repairing of the bridge piers. [6]
In 2007, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced formation of an advisory committee to plan the rehabilitation or replacement of the Champlain Bridge. At the time, the projected start date for the project was 2012. [6] In 2009, an inspection performed on the bridge as part of the planning process revealed that two of the bridge's support piers were not structurally sound. As a result, the bridge was closed to all traffic on October 16, 2009. [7] [8] NYSDOT Regional Structural Engineer Thomas Hoffman commented that "under certain conditions we were afraid the bridge could fail abruptly." Prior to the closing, the bridge had already been reduced to one lane for structural steel repairs. [9]
The closure of the bridge caused economic hardship for commuters and local businesses as traffic was greatly reduced on both sides of the lake. Two businesses that saw more activity were private ferry services; one about 15 miles (24 km) south of the bridge was overwhelmed, while the other (about 25 miles (40 km) north of the bridge) expanded its hours of operation. Even with expanded hours, and New York state subsidies, the two private services could not meet demand. The state explored adding a ferry at the bridge location, and the Basin Harbor Club made its tour boat available to ferry pedestrians. Since the lake freezes in winter, an ice-breaker would be required to keep the ferry services running. [10] The Ticonderoga Ferry was forced to suspend service due to icy conditions from December 17 to December 20, 2009. [11]
On February 1, 2010, Lake Champlain Transportation started a new ferry service at the site of the demolished bridge, operating with two boats, departing each side of the crossing every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day as a free service subsidized by NYSDOT.
On November 9, 2009, officials in Vermont and New York announced that the bridge was beyond repair and would have to be demolished. [12] Removal of the existing bridge was accomplished by explosive demolition, and was originally scheduled for December 23, 2009. [13] On December 22, officials moved the demolition date to December 28 as a result of the formation of ice on Lake Champlain and cold weather in the area; both factors led to delays in installing the necessary explosives for demolition. [14] The bridge was demolished at 10:03 am on December 28, 2009. [15]
The bridge was replaced by a new structure, a Modified Network Tied Arch concept design. [16] Flatiron Constructors of Longmont, Colorado, the U.S. subsidiary of German firm Hochtief AG, won the contract for the new bridge, and groundbreaking took place on June 11, 2010. [17] The replacement bridge opened to traffic on November 7, 2011. [2]
Lake Champlain is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec.
U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection ; the other is US 10. US 9 is signed east–west in Delaware and north–south on the rest of its route. The southern terminus of the route is in Laurel, Delaware, at an intersection of US 13, while the highway's northern terminus is at an interchange with I-87 in Champlain, New York, where the old roadway continues north as the unsigned New York State Route 971B (NY 971B), which ends in a cul-de-sac just short of the Canadian border.
Interstate 87 (I-87) is a 333.49-mile-long (536.70 km) north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of New York. I-87 is the main highway that connects New York City and Montreal. The highway begins at exit 47 off I-278 in the New York City borough of the Bronx, just north of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. From there, the route runs northward through the Hudson Valley, the Capital District, and the easternmost part of the North Country to the Canada–United States border in the town of Champlain. At its north end, I-87 continues into Quebec as Autoroute 15 (A-15). I-87 connects with several regionally important roads: I-95 in New York City, New York State Route 17 near Harriman, I-84 near Newburgh, and I-90 in Albany. The highway is not contiguous with I-87 in North Carolina.
Crown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, United States, located on the west shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 2,024 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, Pointe à la Chevelure.
Port Henry is a hamlet in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census.
Interstate 787 (I-787) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of New York. I-787 is the main highway for those traveling into and out of downtown Albany. The southern terminus is, per New York traffic data, at New York State Thruway (I-87) exit 23 southwest of downtown Albany. However, current signage indicates the terminus as along I-787's ramp to US Route 9W (US 9W). The northern terminus of the route is unclear, with some sources placing the terminus at 8th Street in Troy, creating an overlap with New York State Route 7 (NY 7) between Green Island and Troy. Other documents show I-787 as terminating at its interchange with NY 7 and NY 787 in the town of Colonie. Regardless, the route is 10.16 miles (16.35 km) long if extended to Troy, or 9.55 miles (15.37 km) excluding the unsigned NY 7 overlap.
The Lake Champlain Transportation Company is a vehicle ferry operator that runs three routes across Lake Champlain between the US states of New York and Vermont. From 1976 to 2003, the company was owned by Burlington, Vermont, businessman Raymond C. Pecor Jr., who is chairman of its board. In 2003, he sold the company to his son, Raymond Pecor III.
New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers in Clinton County near the Canadian border. At 337 miles (542 km), it is the state's longest north–south route and the third longest state route overall, after NY 5 and NY 17. Many of the state's major east–west roads intersect with, and often join, NY 22 just before crossing into the neighboring New England states, where U.S. Route 7 (US 7), which originally partially followed NY 22's alignment, similarly parallels the New York state line.
New York State Route 149 (NY 149) is an east–west state highway that runs for 32.20 miles (51.82 km) through the Capital District of New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 on the Adirondack Northway in the Warren County town of Queensbury and intersects U.S. Route 9 (US 9), US 4, and NY 22, among other routes, as it progresses eastward to its eastern end at the Vermont state line in the Washington County village of Granville. Here, the highway becomes Vermont Route 149 (VT 149) and continues for an additional 1.302 miles (2.095 km) to an intersection with VT 30 in Rutland County. Both NY 149 and VT 149 traverse mostly rural areas.
Chimney Point is a peninsula in the town of Addison, Vermont, which juts into Lake Champlain forming a narrows. It is one of the earliest settled and most strategic sites in the Champlain Valley.
New York State Route 73 (NY 73) is a 27.55-mile-long (44.34 km) state highway located entirely within Essex County, New York, in the United States. The highway begins at an intersection with NY 86 in the village of Lake Placid and ends at a junction with U.S. Route 9 (US 9) north of the hamlet of Underwood in the extreme southwestern corner of the town of Elizabethtown. NY 73 meanders through a mountainous region of Adirondack Park and passes by several named peaks, including Porter Mountain and Lower Wolfjaw Mountain. Along the way, the route has a short concurrency with NY 9N in the town of Keene.
U.S. Route 2 (US 2) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that is split into two segments. Its eastern segment runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine. In Vermont, US 2 extends 150.518 miles (242.235 km) from the New York state line in Alburgh to the New Hampshire state line in Guildhall. West of Vermont, US 2 continues into New York for another 0.87 miles (1.40 km) to an intersection with US 11 in Rouses Point. US 2 passes through the cities of Burlington and Montpelier as it traverses the state. The highway parallels Interstate 89 (I-89) between these two cities. The Burlington to Montpelier route was first laid out as a toll road in the early 19th century. It was later incorporated into the transcontinental auto trail known as the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919 before being designated as part of US 2 in 1926.
New York State Route 8 (NY 8) is a 207.45-mile-long (333.86 km) north-south state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake George. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17, where it begins concurrent with NY 10 in the town of Deposit. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 9N in the town of Hague. Roughly midway between the two endpoints, NY 8 passes through Utica, where it overlaps NY 5, NY 12, and Interstate 790 (I-790) along one segment of the North–South Arterial.
New York State Route 67 (NY 67) is an 86.55-mile-long (139.29 km) east–west state highway in eastern New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in the town of St. Johnsville. Its eastern terminus is at the Vermont state line in Hoosick, where it continues eastward as Vermont Route 67 (VT 67).
New York State Route 74 (NY 74) and Vermont Route 74 (VT 74) are state highways in the northeastern United States, connected by one of the last remaining cable ferries in North America. Together they extend for 34 miles (55 km) through Essex County, New York, and Addison County, Vermont. NY 74 begins at exit 28 off Interstate 87 (I-87) in the hamlet of Severance in the Adirondack Mountains region of the northern part of New York State. It extends 20.44 miles (32.89 km) to the western shore of Lake Champlain in Ticonderoga. There, the seasonal Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry carries cars across the state border into Vermont, where VT 74 starts at the lake's eastern shore and terminates 13.26 miles (21.34 km) later at a junction with VT 30 in the town of Cornwall.
Vermont Route 17 (VT 17) is a 40.409-mile-long (65.032 km) state highway in western Vermont in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at the New York state line in Addison, where it connects to New York State Route 185 (NY 185) by way of the Lake Champlain Bridge. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with VT 100 in Waitsfield. VT 17 was initially much shorter than it is today, extending from the Champlain Bridge to Addison upon assignment. It was extended east through the Green Mountains to Waitsfield in 1965.
New York State Route 314 (NY 314) and Vermont Route 314 (VT 314) are a pair of like-numbered state highways in New York and Vermont in the United States, that are connected by way of the Grand Isle–Plattsburgh Ferry across Lake Champlain and the Thomas MacDonough Highway in Plattsburgh. NY 314 extends for 0.76 miles (1.22 km) through the Clinton County town of Plattsburgh from Interstate 87 (I-87) exit 39 to U.S. Route 9. NY 314 previously continued another 3.95 miles (6.36 km) to the ferry landing on Cumberland Head. Its Vermont counterpart is a 5.493-mile (8.840 km) loop route off of U.S. Route 2 (US 2) through the Grand Isle County towns of South Hero and Grand Isle that connects to the ferry near its midpoint.
New York State Route 373 (NY 373) is a short state highway in Essex County, New York, within Adirondack Park. It begins at U.S. Route 9 (US 9) and proceeds eastward, ending at a ferry landing on Lake Champlain. It intersects two county routes, several local roads, and a reference route—NY 912T—which connects it with US 9. NY 373 is the only connector between US 9 and the hamlet of Port Kent and the ferry that serves it.
New York State Route 185 (NY 185) is an east–west state highway in Essex County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a connector between NY 9N and NY 22 in Crown Point and the Lake Champlain Bridge, by which the highway enters Vermont and becomes Vermont Route 17 (VT 17). NY 185, named Bridge Road, passes through Crown Point State Historic Site and runs the entire length of Crown Point, a peninsula protruding into Lake Champlain.
The Lake Champlain Bridge is a vehicular bridge traversing Lake Champlain between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont. It replaced an older bridge that was demolished in 2009. The bridge was designed and constructed during an aggressive two-year schedule to minimize the social and economic impact of the original bridge's demolition. It is the only fixed-link crossing of Lake Champlain/Champlain canal between US 4 in Whitehall, 42 miles (68 km) to the south and US 2 at Rouses Point, 85 miles (137 km) to the north.