New Bridge Reopens Vital Link Between New York & Vermont After 2 Years

The New York State Department of Transportation and the Vermont Agency of Transportation opened Monday a new bridge that spans Lake Champlain, reconnecting the two states and providing a vital link for the residents, local businesses, and communities impacted when the previous bridge was closed in October 2009 due to safety concerns.Construction was completed in just two years rather than the initial eight-year projection, according to a statement issued by New York state. New York Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy joined Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and local officials in Crown Point, New York, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the bridge’s opening.

“The structure that is opening today recreates the iconic previous Champlain Bridge, and I’m enormously proud of the design and the execution of this state-of-the-art engineering accomplishment,” Shumlin said in the statement. “It’s a critical link for west-central Vermont and New York state, and vital to Vermont’s economic strength as well as for the people who rely upon that bridge for work and recreation.”

Construction on the $76 million replacement structure began in June 2010 after the old structure was demolished in December 2009. Due to the emergency nature of the closure and the lack of efficient detour routes, New York and Vermont worked closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal and state agencies to efficiently lead a replacement project through significant review processes and necessary oversights required to guarantee that a safe new structure could be delivered to the community in record time. A project that was initially expected to be completed only by 2017 was finished in late 2011.

“We were able to restore mobility for the people and business of New York and Vermont, providing a safer, stronger, better link across Lake Champlain that will help restore normalcy to everyone who depends on this bridge,” Duffy said in the statement.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by a group known as the “29ers,” who attended a similar event when the former bridge opened in 1929.

“The collaborative efforts of New York, Vermont and all of our partners are a testament to what we can do when we put our heads together and work to achieve a common goal,” New York State Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said in the statement.

A two-hour, nearly 100-mile detour was in effect during the two years without a bridge. New York and Vermont also provided ferry service, which is now discontinued since the new bridge is open to traffic.

Vermont Transportation Secretary Brian Searles noted that “everyday life for thousands of people was significantly altered more than two years ago because their ability to cross the lake in a timely fashion is critical to their way of life. While the ferry helped a lot, only now with a new bridge can their lives truly get back to normal.”