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Burlington Harbor Navigation Project

Burlington Harbor

Burlington Harbor in Burlington is located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, about 40 miles south of the United States-Canada border. Encompassing about 100 acres, the harbor serves as a receiving port for petroleum products and is a terminal for ferry traffic to Port Kent Harbor, New York. It is also used by a sizeable recreational fleet and transient pleasure craft.

The project consists of a 4,157-foot-long stone and concrete breakwater located about 1,000 feet from shore and generally parallel with it. The structure is separated by a 200-foot gap that allows safe entrance into the harbor during storms. The northern section of the breakwater is 364 feet long, and the southern section is 3,793 feet long. Although the breakwater was originally designed for a length of 6,000 feet, the present length is considered sufficient for the needs of navigation. The structure was completed in 1890.

The breakwater underwent major rehabilitation between 1962 and 1965 when it was recapped with stone and the lakeside slope was reinforced.