Main Sections

Champlain Bridge Closure “Expected Into Winter” Options Discussed...

Middlebury Chamber of Commerce Forum Sheds Some Light On Future

photo by Mike Cameron The Champlain Bridge (also known as the "Crown Point" bridge)

photo by Mike Cameron Construction crew members repair cement on lake Champlain Bridge Pier after erosion damage on key support piers prompted officials to close the bridge indefinitely last week.

Tuesday October 27, 2009

By Mike Cameron

   A short commute has turned into a 2 to 3 hour odyssey for many fellow New Yorkers and Vermonters.  Dairy farm animals normally seldom at risk for going unattended, could be.  Travel expenses, always a factor in today’s energy troubled times have doubled and tripled because of increased mileage.  Business owners on both sides of the lake are discussing closing their doors, after suffering record daily losses and this is being called just the tip of the ice berg. Medical professionals and hospital administrators are anxious. The 80 year old Champlain Bridge connecting Addison Vermont and the Crown Point section of New York State was closed on Friday afternoon October 16th at 1:30 p.m.

    The question of when and if it will open again is in serious doubt.  3,400 to 4000 commuters per day and dozens of lake-shore businesses are asking some very testy questions to state and federal officials on both sides of the lake. New York Governor David Patterson has declared affected areas of Essex County New York a disaster area.  Vermont Governor Jim Douglas was out or the country but Vermont officials have declared an emergency over the bridge closing.  Concrete answers are few and far between except that concrete seems to be part of the problem. Exposure to the elements is another.  

    Bridge repair construction has been underway for months now with one lane traffic in effect but recently a closer inspection of the concrete (piers), that support the main steel girders of the bridge were found to be eroded so badly that the entire structural integrity of the bridge was in jeopardy.  The bridge was ordered closed to all traffic until further notice by the State of New York Department of Transportation.  Commuters found concrete barriers barring their way home that night and a Vermont and New York State Police presence in Addison and Crown Point, no prior warning was given.

    It didn’t take long for people on both sides of Lake Champlain to feel the impact of closing the Crown Point Bridge.  Business owners and private citizens alike were quick to respond to the impact of the closing order. The response was both heated and emotional.  The key question by mid-week last week was, “What now and when?”  Governors from both states had been petitioned for immediate relief. The Federal Government had also been notified through each state’s Congressional delegation.  By Wednesday October 21,  2009 some progress was being reported at a gathering of Vermont and New York State  Government Officials, Business and Civic leaders and private citizens at the Middlebury American Legion Hall, all wondering what will happen next.

    Vermont Department of Transportation official John Zicconi informed the gathering that “the bridge will be closed into the winter.”  Zicconi went on to say that a pontoon bridge of the type suggested by some is not an option that is being given serious consideration.  “Lake Champlain is an international water-way and would present problems with blocking that water-way,” he explained.  A more viable option according to Zicconi would be a “ferry boat that would carry passengers and vehicles near or close to the bridge site.”  The ferry boat solution near the bridge site is being given the most serious consideration at this time by both states.  Meanwhile a pedestrian ferry was expected to be in operating from Westport to Basin Harbor by Monday, October 26, with shuttle service available at both docs according to Basin Harbor officials, who released that information via the internet and state wide Vermont television on Wednesday afternoon October 21, 2009.

    Tom Scozzafava who is a life-long Moriah New York resident and a member of the  Essex County Board of Supervisors, knows only too well the implications of not having the bridge connecting the two states. “Last week this was being called an inconvenience now it’s being called an emergency,” he told the Voice.  Scozzafava was also impressed that the Federal Government will now be involved in helping to solve the problem.  When asked if he thought anything had been accomplished at a Wednesday October 21  Middlebury forum on the bridge,  Scozzafava was quick to respond.  “Yes I think so.  I like the fact that the Fed will be involved and that they are beginning to understand the seriousness of the problems we are facing.”  Staff members from Senator’s Leahy and Sanders offices and Representative Welch’s office were at the forum to answer questions.

    Local businesses who rely on the bridge as a vital link expressed concern about loosing business,  loosing employees because of the new time consuming and expensive commute involved when by-passing the bridge and in their view the slow response of officials who are responsible for correcting the problem.  Bridge area business like the Bridge Restaurant, West Addison General Store, Bridge Marina, The Doc Dr., Pratts Store, Boise Citgo and Store and many others including major employers. Porter Hospital and Helen Porter Nursing that currently have 71 of their employees having to extend their commute to and from New York.  B.F. Goodrich, International Paper Ticonderoga Mill, Country Home Products and DR Trimmer, are others who attended the fact finding forum. Social services agencies also expressed concerns for elderly commuters and people with special needs as the planning process begins to unfold.  

   Area farmers with interests on both sides of the lake have explained to state officials that long delays in opening up this vital transportation link will have devastating impact on their ability to stay in business.

    For all those affected their message was clear.  “We need the bridge open or access to the transit across the Crown Point Narrows of Lake Champlain near the bridge now not weeks or months from now”  Whether the officials responsible for listening to them will incorporate their demands with the same sense of urgency, remains to be seen.

    Vermont State Senator Peter Shumlin D- Windham County told the Middlebury gathering that “This is nothing short of an outrage.  We all dropped the ball and we’re sorry.”   

Printer Friendly

Top

Advertisements

Search our Archives