New NY-Vermont bridge set to open today

CROWN POINT -- The new Lake Champlain Bridge is set to open Monday, ending nearly two years of disrupted travel between New York and Vermont since the previous unsafe span was closed.

Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy will join Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin for the opening ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on the $70 million bridge linking Crown Point and Addison, Vt.

The original 2,184-foot-long span was closed in October 2009 after inspectors determined it was unsafe because its concrete pilings were eroding. The 80-year-old bridge was destroyed by a controlled explosion in late December 2009.

Construction on the new bridge began the following spring.

New York state transportation officials originally set the opening for this past October, but spring flooding caused a delay.

The shutdown caused hardship for businesses that saw revenues plummet and workers who relied on the bridge 100 miles north of Albany to commute to jobs in both states.

About 3,400 vehicles a day crossed the multi-truss span. People living in one state and working in the other initially had to make 100-mile detours or take ferries farther up the lake. In early 2010, ferry service near the bridge site helped ease some of the problems. -- AP