Is It Lake Champlain Bridge or Crown Point Bridge?
January 21, 2017 by Susan
A covered bridge is what most folks picture when they think of a bridge in Vermont, however, Vermont is home to newer, unique bridges which employed advanced technology during the construction process.
The original Champlain Bridge, the major connection point between Vermont and NY. Photo from NYSDOT Region 1 Construction presentation.
The original Champlain Bridge, commonly referred to as The Crown Point Bridge, was the was a major route connecting Vermont and New York at Chimney Point, Vermont and Crown Point, New York. The bridge opened in August 1929 as a toll road and was closed in October 2009 due to concerns that it might collapse. About 3,400 drivers per day used this bridge in 2009. The bridge was demolished by controlled, explosive demolition on Dec 29, 2009 and the demolition was watched by thousands of people via a location web cam. Only problem was, it was a snowy and foggy day so the viewing wasn’t terribly clear. Check out the video of the demolition. Read on to see what replaced this bridge.
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The Road Less Traveled – Draw Bridge on Route 2
July 13, 2012 by Peter MacLaren
Courtesy of Google Maps – click for larger view
For our guests from the north and west, a delightful daytime route in the summer to West Hill House from northern New York State is Route 2 down the island chain in Lake Champlain.The road runs from just the south and east of Alburg to I89 intersection 17 just north of Burlingon, and is the alternative to following Route 78 from the same point over to Swanton and I89 intersection 21 (which is the faster route).
In addition to driving through picturesque small communities and having marvelous views of the lake, you will go over an arm of Lake Champlain on the North Hero – Grand Isle Draw Bridge. This structure was built in the 1950’s and consists of a double leaf bascule* girder draw bridge with a total draw span of 130 feet.
We were driving on the route this week and were fortunate to arrive to find the bridge open to allow the passage of a small yacht. When you are taking the road less travelled this kind of interruption is not a delay but an added attraction! We enjoyed the wait by taking some photographs.
The bridge operator told us that the draw bridge is opened for lake traffic every half hour on the hour and half hour from 8AM to 8PM if a boat is waiting.
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*A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span.