www.addisonindependent.com/?q=node/443 -
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Published on: 3/15/2007
Last Visited: 4/26/2007
Ann Cousins, a field service representative for the Preservation Trust of Vermont, said the Champlain Bridge is not only a piece of history but a feat of elegant engineering.
"From an engineering perspective, it combines three different truss systems, done very gracefully," Cousins said."The lines of the truss system are beautifully designed.It was always meant to be a very visual gateway."
Cousins said that view, and others supportive of the current bridge, were shared by some of the more than 100 people who showed up at an Aug. 29, 2006, public meeting held by the NYDOT in Port Henry.
Cousins added she believed the DOT "revealed a bias toward replacing, rather than rehabilitating (the bridge)" at that Aug. 29 meeting.
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Cousins and her colleagues will closely watch the process.They fear the demise of the current Champlain Bridge could accelerate replacement of other old truss bridges throughout the country.
Cousins pointed to statistics showing that around half of the nation's historic truss bridges have been lost during the past 20 years.
"If we can't save the Champlain Bridge , there are so many of these other bridges scattered across Vermont that will also be at risk," Cousins said.