More Than $560K in Storm Damage to Vermont Railroad Causeway

A Vermont town says preliminary repair estimates for an old railroad causeway and bridge across a section of Lake Champlain are $563,000 after it was heavily damaged by a storm earlier this month.

The May 4 storm caused the formation of sinkholes in the 4-mile-long causeway and structural damage to a bridge.

This means a bicycle ferry that carries cyclists across the gap in the causeway that runs between Colchester and South Hero isn’t going to be in operation this year.

Officials from Local Motion, the organization that runs the 8-minute ferry for cyclists and pedestrians, says repairs to the causeway will require a major reconstruction project.

Local Motion Executive Director Karen Yacos says officials are hopeful the repairs will improve the infrastructure and a more sustainable bike ferry operation.