CROWN POINT - A new, $76 million bridge over Lake Champlain has cracks in the concrete on the span's support pillars, but state Department of Transportation officials say there's nothing to be concerned about.
"There is superficial hairline concrete cracking, which routinely occurs on all newly poured concrete bridges," DOT Region 1 spokeswoman Carol Breen wrote in an email to the Enterprise. "Such hairline cracks are normal and do not affect the safety or structural integrity of the bridge."
The cracks were discovered during routine concrete testing after the bridge opened Nov. 7, 2011.
DOT officials say the cracks don't need to be repaired.
The Lake Champlain Bridge connects Crown Point and Addison, Vt. The new bridge, built throughout 2011, replaced an 80-year-old span that was dynamited in December 2009. It had been deemed structurally unsound and immediately closed in October 2009 because inspectors found cracks in the concrete pillars.