Amidst the snow and ice of late December, the Crown Point Bridge, an 80-year fixture spanning the lake between New York and Vermont was destroyed today in a controlled demolition.

Located on Lake Champlain, the bridge connected Crown Point, New York to Addison, Vermont. Built in 1929, the bridge was declared unsafe after cracks were found on one of its piers. The bridge was under repair due to severe erosion to its concrete foundation. It was closed to traffic on October 16.

Idaho based Advanced Explosives Demolition was in charge of the blast. 800 pounds of explosives on 500 charges were used to bring down 80% of the bridge. The 2,184-foot bridge was brought down at a rate of 17,000 feet per second.

All debris from the blast will be cleared by the spring. Lake Champlain will reopen in April for boat traffic.

A new bridge is expected to be completed in 2011.

Lake Champlain Bridge Demolished