http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/19857/upstate-champlain-bridge-cant-be-fixed-will-be-rebuilt/ (http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/19857/upstate-champlain-bridge-cant-be-fixed-will-be-rebuilt/)
It's official. The New York State Department of Transportation and Vermont Transportation Authority say the bridge is beyond repair and will be demolished rather than rehabilitated. They will have to build a new structure for the safety of motorists and boaters.
Fans of the bridge mourn this moment :(
QuoteAn underwater inspection of the bridge's concrete piers and underlying foundations found cracks and significant deterioration in the unreinforced concrete substructures well below the water level that render these supports so fragile that a sudden collapse could occur.
Yikes! No wonder they closed it!
Yeah, it was really bad. I'm surprised the thing didn't collapse already. But that's what lack of maintenance gets you.
I've driven over that bridge quite a few times and it sure did look like it was deteriorating. But until these recent developments came about, I didn't know how bad of shape the bridge was in. A news article at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=863160 (http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=863160) states that the concrete rot on the piers as seen from when divers made an underwater inspection was much more than expected.