Lake Champlain Bridge closed

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Lake Champlain Bridge Update - 12/11/09

Today the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced that, as part of an expedited process to demolish the existing Lake Champlain Bridge and build a replacement at the same location, NYSDOT contractor Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. (H&B) has secured an expert subcontractor to demolish the existing bridge. Advanced Explosives Demolition, Inc. of Idaho will, working for H&B, plan for and execute the controlled explosive demolition of the steel truss bridge.

Details on the bridge demolition will be well advertised and safe public viewing locations will be determined. The demolition contractor will establish safety protocols for contractor employees and for the public to which they must adhere. The public will be prohibited from the area immediately surrounding the bridge, including the land, water and air. Access to
certain roads also will be restricted for a distance to be specified by the states and contractor to ensure public safety.

For those who can not attend the 12/12 meeting, at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, renderings showing each of the alternatives will be made available on NYSDOT's Web site at www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge <http://www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge>. A survey also will be available until midnight on Monday, December 14, so the public can make their preferred bridge concept known. Results will be considered before a final decision is made.

NYSDOT has been informed that Basin Harbor Ferry has suspended its operations on Lake Champlain between Westport Dock, N.Y. to Basin Harbor, V.T., for the winter. Other ferry services are available from Essex, N.Y. to Charlotte, V.T., and from Ticonderoga, N.Y. to Shoreham, V.T.

Again, we thank you for your interest in the Lake Champlain Bridge
project. Please don't hesitate to contact us at the access points listed above
should you have additional questions.
 
The modified network tied arch proposal is gorgeous. The cable-stays are too much bridge for the location, IMO, and the plain girder bridges just too plain.
 
big splash next Monday

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today announced that the Lake Champlain Bridge demolition has been rescheduled to Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10 A.M. due to ice formation on Lake Champlain and severely cold temperatures which have significantly delayed work to prepare the bridge for demolition.

Safety issues associated with the bitter cold and high winds, as well as icing around the bridge have caused the delay, according to NYSDOT's blast subcontractor Advanced Explosives Demolition (AED). Therefore, the bridge will not be sufficiently prepared for demolition on the originally scheduled date, December 23.

The demolition contractor has established safety protocols for demolition viewing. The public will not be allowed in the area immediately surrounding the bridge, including the land, water and air. A safety zone of 1,000 feet has been established for land access, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a 2,000 foot no-fly zone. Access to certain roads and buildings also will be restricted to ensure public safety. For their protection, the public is required to abide by the safety zones.

In order to protect the public during the Lake Champlain Bridge demolition and subsequent debris removal, the United States Coast Guard (USGS) has established a water safety zone of 1,000 feet on either side of the bridge. No vessels, vehicles or persons are permitted within this area without approval from the Captain of the Port, Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. This safety zone is in effect from 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 20, 2009 until Thursday, April 15, 2010, to allow the channel to be cleared of debris. Any questions regarding the safety zone should be directed to the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England Command Center at 207-767-0302.

The public and media are required to obey security protocols at the bridge through the preparation period by keeping a safe distance until the demolition can occur. Members of the public and media who plan to attend should prepare for bitter cold temperatures.

All members of the general public will be able to view the demolition of the bridge from the boat launch in Port Henry where a few chemical toilets will be available. An alternate viewing location will be open at Bulwagga Bay Park in Moriah however there are no toileting facilities at this site. Only media and essential staff will be permitted at the Crown Point Historic Site. The Crown Point Historic Site is designated just outside the 1,000 foot safety zone, however, media and others who will be at the site should bring ear protection, as the blast will exceed a 130-decibel sound level, and could present hearing safety issues.

Further details about the demolition are available online at
www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge <http://www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge>

All plans and restrictions that were in place for the previously scheduled demolition date of December 23 will remain in affect for the new date of December 28. Access to Vermont's public viewing along Route 125 will be controlled by turning parts of Route 125 and Route 17 into one-way streets. Heading west along Route 125, the road will become one way (heading west) in the area of Lake Street. One-way traffic will be maintained as Route 125 heads toward Lake Champlain and connects with Route 17 at the bridge. Route 17 will also be just one way (headed east) from the bridge until the area around the West Addison General Store, also known as WAGS.

Because the westerly most portion of Route 17 will be one-way headed away from the bridge, demolition viewers are encouraged to enter the area via Route 125. Anyone attempting to get to the bridge on December 28th along Route 17 will be stopped at WAGS and turned around. They will not be able to continue any further west along Route 17.
 
ice unsafe after 100,000 tons of steel land on it

MONTPELIER - The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) today issued a warning to all those planning to attend Monday's planned demolition of the Lake Champlain Bridge to stay off the ice that has formed on Lake Champlain.

The recent cold snap has formed ice around the bridge, but in most places the ice is less than four inches thick. Temperatures this weekend are expected to warm into the low 30s, meaning the ice is also expected to weaken.

Complicating the ice condition is the bridge demolition itself, which is expected to destabilize any ice that remains. Some 1,700 feet of steel, concrete and asphalt weighing hundreds of thousands of tons is expected to drop into the lake, creating a wave that will travel some distance. That wave is expected to break up or crack any ice that remains within a considerable distance of the bridge, placing those who stand on it in danger.

Also, before the explosives on the bridge are detonated, ferry construction crews, which need to keep lake surrounding the bridge as free of ice buildup as possible, plan to break up any ice in the immediate vicinity so that they can work in the water. This ice-breaking activity is also expected to weaken or crack ice further away from the bridge, rendering it unsafe for recreational or demolition viewing.

Finally, due to the construction operation of the new 24-hour ferry service that will soon operate just south of the bridge, VTrans, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) are warning people that the ice surrounding the Lake Champlain Bridge even after its demolition will not be the same as in years' past, and that recreational activities in the area should be conducted with extreme caution.

Beyond the planned bridge demolition, the establishment of a new 24-hour ferry service between Chimney Point, Vermont and Crown Point, New York will prevent ice from forming in the vicinity of the Lake Champlain Bridge. Ferries will move continuously from shore to shore to prevent ice from forming. In addition, the Fort Ticonderoga cable ferry which runs between Shoreham, VT and Ticonderoga, NY has installed bubblers and a thermal warming system to extend its operation into the winter months. Though the ferry is not operating 24/7, ice along the cable route will be minimal, if present at all.

No one knows exactly how far the ferry routes will affect the adjacent iced regions, but ferry traffic will certainly weaken the ice in those areas. VTrans, NYSDOT, and the Coast Guard are cautioning those who ice fish, operate snow mobiles, or drive all-terrain-vehicles that the ice around the Lake Champlain Bridge will be unsafe, even during stretches of extreme cold.

John Zicconi
VTrans Director of Planning, Outreach and Community Affairs
Telephone: 802.828.1647 * Fax: 802.828.3522
 
Roy, I watched it on the Series of Tubes, too.

Didn’t mean to mislead anyone. I didn’t state it as clearly as I might have. That’s what comes of being in the fourth day of a headache.

I didn’t go all the way up there to watch it, just got up early and turned on the computer. I saw only one orange flash ‘‘live,’’ more on the slo-mo replay.

And the bridge didn’t really go down, just disintegrated.

It was my understanding that the plan was to immediately begin running a ferry, and to run it around the clock to keep the passage free of ice, but on WCAX it was said that the Coast Guard was requiring the state(s?) to have the debris removed from the lake by April 15, which sounds to me like there will be no running of any ferry until the clean-up is complete, which could be a while.

Will there be that much ice to worry about by the middle of April?
 
I was surprised to see the bridge abutments collapse as well. Was that planned, or did they just collapse due to the shock waves around them?
 
Raymond said:
And the bridge didn’t really go down, just disintegrated.

It was my understanding that the plan was to immediately begin running a ferry, and to run it around the clock to keep the passage free of ice,
Click to expand...
The plan was to break the bridge into small enough pieces to be lifted by crane which I think happened :)

The ferry will begin running when they get the approaches built, the bridge debris will not keep them from crossing the lake but only hinder traffic up and down the lake
 
I just talked to a retired senior executive of FST that I knew when he was a bridge draftsman. He said the bridge was in poor shape overall due to lack of maintenance when it was owned by the toll authority.

Which leads to my question: since the replacement will be very expensive, will it be a toll bridge? That would add a new expense to Adk journeys.
 
How many times did you vote :)

MichaelJ said:
The modified network tied arch proposal is gorgeous. The cable-stays are too much bridge for the location, IMO, and the plain girder bridges just too plain.
Click to expand...

Champlain Bridge Design Public Meeting to be Held on Monday

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will hold a public meeting in Vermont at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 4 to present the six possible designs for the new Lake Champlain Bridge. The meeting will be held at the Addison County Eagle building at 67 New Haven Road in Vergennes.

On December 15 the Public Advisory Committee -- organized as part of the public involvement plan for the Lake Champlain Bridge Project -- selected the Modified Network Tied Arch Bridge concept as its choice to replace the former bridge. The Modified Tied Arch is also the overwhelming favorite of those New York and Vermont residents who have already cast their vote or attended a previous public meeting. Construction on the new bridge is planned to begin in the Spring of 2010.

Public preference will be one of many factors considered as VTrans and NYSDOT choose a replacement bridge design, and public input will play a significant role in the final determination. A rendering of and more details about the Modified Network Tied Arch Bridge, as well as other bridge alternatives, can be found at
https://www.nysdot.gov/lakechamplainbridge/alternatives.

Those wishing to voice a preference can do so by sending their comments in writing to Jim Boni, NYSDOT, 328 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12305. Comments will be accepted until January 11, 2010.

John Zicconi
VTrans Director of Planning, Outreach and Community Affairs
Telephone: 802.828.1647 * Fax: 802.828.3522
 
historic preservation professor says piers must have had reinforcing

Bob McCullough, a professor at the University of Vermont's graduate program in historic preservation, says the HNTB's claim that the piers are unreinforced is incomplete and is therefore inaccurate.
...
"To say that the piers are unreinforced concrete is ridiculous," McCullough says. "It wouldn't be around after 80 years; it would have failed along time ago."
Click to expand...

http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/story-of-the-week/2009/a-bridge-too-far.html

I guess we'll find out :)
 
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