The designers of the new bridge actually gave local residents a few designs and let them vote on it.

The original was beautiful. The replacement is graceful. Two wonderful designs that all can appreciate.

Great video

A grand old bridge has been replaced by perfection. It's the most beautiful bridge in the world.

Been over the bridge many times. Thanks for the back story.

This was actually really great! I hope more people get to see this!

The truth of the bridge closing is much different than stated in this video. It turned out that the inspector responsible was not looking at the bridge. He retired and his replacement did a thorough job and found that the supports could fail at any time. An emergency closure was done on the same day . At first , the Democrats in Albany did not want to replace the bridge. But local grassroots pressure from residents in the area, as well as the Vermont legislature resulted in the push for a new bridge. When that new inspection took place there was another bridge ordered closed in Whitehall NY. One lazy and careless inspector caused a lot of trouble.

The new bridge is beautiful. If you can get up to see it (it is 115 miles north of Albany, and close to Middlebury on the Vermont side) and walk across it as I did last Summer, it is a treat. You can park on the New York side close to the bridge. But the use of iron ore tailings as aggregate in the concrete should have been a red flag from Day One. It seems that the iron is going to expand and contract at a different rate than the rest of the concrete, leading to degradation.

The old bridge was almost identical to the Auckland harbour bridge here in New Zealand also a truss bridge and still in existence

Too bad they have cancelled future I-98 which connect from I-81 in the upstate of New York to I-89 in Swanton Vermont, close to the Canadian border. Ditto with future I-92 was supposed to connect from I-87 in Glens Falls New York to Portsmouth New Hampshire. Many travelers will have to take the Mass Pike (I-90) in Massachusetts as if the nearest east-west interstate highway, and it does waste gas and driving time by several hours off.

Isn’t Bare Ass Beach near there?

Growing up in VT I always thought that it was an ugly bridge. The replacement is nearly as ugly.