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Crown Point Bridge

December 28, 2009 by · Comments Off on Crown Point Bridge 

CrownCrown Point Bridge:Pictured above is the Crown Point Bridge between Vermont and New York in the midst of the planned explosion that totally destroyed the bridge today following VT Governor Jim Douglas’ pushing of the button to set off over 800 pounds of explosives.

Due to heavy clouds, the view was very poor but the photo above, taken from the WPTZ-TV video, offers a fairly clear illustration of the extent of the explosion.

Below is a photo of the bridge prior to its destruction.

Champlain Bridge

December 28, 2009 by · Comments Off on Champlain Bridge 

Champlain Bridge:Bye bye Lake Champlain Bridge. Your 80 years of service is over. The Lake Champlain Bridge between West Addison, Vt., and Crown Point, N.Y., has reached the end of the road and is set to be demolished.

Lake Champlain Bridge demolition is expected to happen at about 10:05 a.m. today, December 28, 2009.

It’s not every day we blow up historic landmarks– especially ones that serve as key transportation links between two states. Planning has been underway for many years to replace the bridge, but that reconstruction was still several years away. But in October, an inspection of the bridge’s foundation revealed deep cracks in two of the concrete piers. Engineers quickly decided to close the bridge to all traffic and three weeks later state officials decided the bridge could not be repaired. And so this morning, they will demolish the Champlain Bridge.

The demolition will be carried out by a company from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, called Advance Explosives Demolition.

Crews have spent the past several days preparing the bridge for a controlled detonation; a series of small explosions that happen almost simultaneously and will “cut” the bridge into sections that will then drop into the lake.

The demolition will target the main central span, about 1,700 feet of the 2,200 foot bridge.

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