The Champlain Bridge: 1929 - 2009
6 minutes. Produced by LCMM: 1999. Purchase the DVD ($7.95)
The Champlain Bridge opened for vehicular traffic in August, 1929. New York Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Vermont Gov. John Weeks met at the midway point of the Lake Champlain Bridge to commemorate what Roosevelt termed a "wedding" of the two states.
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Both New York and Vermont shared the cost of the construction, with the remainder to be collected through tolls. The continuous truss design was chosen to match the beauty of the surrounding countryside, whereas the high central arch, 90 feet off the water, was to continue to allow the stacks of lake steamboats to pass under it.
On October 16, 2009, the Champlain Bridge was closed to all traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, due to concerns over its structural integrity. Since then, the bridge has been deemed irreparable, and will be demolished. Below is a video produced by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in 1999, featuring historic video from the 1929 bridge opening ceremonies. Purchase this DVD ($7.95)