Bridge is out

Maintaining infrastructure is a basic function of government. People expect essential roads and bridges to be kept in good repair.

What happens when that does not occur is illustrated by the sudden closing of the Lake Champlain Bridge that connects Crown Point, N.Y., with West Addison, Vt., over southern Lake Champlain.

The 2,184-foot-long, two-lane bridge jointly owned and maintained by New York and Vermont was used by about 3,500 vehicles a day, the Associated Press reported, before it was closed last month.

The good news is that underwater inspections of the bridge's concrete piers and foundations revealed cracks and deterioration, and the two states took action before a disaster occurred. The 1929-vintage bridge could have collapsed, AP reported, according to the New York State Department of Transportation.

The bad news is that communities on both sides of the lake are adversely affected — farmers who have operations in both states, businesses that rely on bridge traffic, commuters who live in one state and work in another, and others who depend on the span for one thing or another.

So it is good and heartening that the deficiencies were discovered before a potentially tragic collapse occurred. But it is dismaying that the deterioration could not have been discovered years ago, which would have allowed for a better-managed correction and less inconvenience.

A ferry service across the half-mile section of Lake Champlain is planned for the short term. The bridge will be demolished and a new one built — for an estimated $67 million. Meanwhile, drivers who need to cross the lake are forced to use a 100-mile detour.

By one count, there are 110 other bridges in the state with safety ratings the same or worse than the Champlain bridge, also known as the Crown Point bridge. The Department of Transportation has said that 1,526 bridges will become deficient in the next five years without significant investment, according to AP.

This is a huge problem, and begs the question: Is New York maintaining its essential infrastructure?