Construction is set to resume on the Champlain Parkway project in Burlington, Vt., which would connect Interstate 189 in South Burlington to the city's downtown.
The road project has been in the works since the 1960s.
In 2022, crews worked on stormwater, utility and the subbase for the new section of roadway between Home Avenue and Lakeside Avenue, according to Chapin Spencer, the director of Burlington Department of Public Works (DPW).
This year, city officials have circled April 17 on their calendars as the date to begin work on the parkway to make the corridor more pedestrian-friendly and repave roads like Lakeside Avenue. Supporters say the project will alleviate traffic and congestion on neighborhood streets.
"I'm confident that overall, Burlington is moving in the right direction," Spencer told MyChamplainValley.com, the online news service for WFFF-TV.
He said DPW officials have worked hard to plan the parkway project so that it is easier and safer for everyone.
"What started out as a limited access four-lane, high-speed highway through Burlington is now a 25-mph multi-model street," he explained.
Better Access into Burlington Studied Since 1960s
Totaling 2.8 mi. long, the Champlain Parkway Project's aim in connecting I-189 to Burlington's south end via a new two-lane multi-modal road also will transform the existing Pine Street into a more efficient and user-friend route, thereby alleviating neighborhood traffic and congestion.
According to the DPW's Champlain Parkway project page online, in the 1960s, Burlington city planners identified a need to provide access between I-189, U.S. Highway 7/Shelburne Street and the City Center District in response to a study conducted by the Vermont State Department of Highways, which recommended the construction of a Burlington Belt Line.
From there, DPW developed a new highway concept, known as the Southern Connector, to address the need in the 1970s. A portion of the Southern Connector, between I-189 and Home Avenue, was built in the 1980s before the project was stalled when a segment referred to as the "Pine Street Barge Canal" was declared a superfund site.
Over the last three decades, Burlington's DPW, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), has transformed the original four-lane freeway concept for the Southern Connector into the current two-lane, low-speed, multi-modal roadway design — now known as the Champlain Parkway.
Multi-Faceted Road-Building Effort
Included in the Champlain Parkway Project construction is a new roadway from the existing I-189 near its intersection with U.S. Route 7 to Lakeside Avenue, and upgrades to Lakeside Avenue and the section of Pine Street between Lakeside and Main Street.
Other improvements throughout the project area include:
- New roadway signage and pavement markings.
- New bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and connections.
- New and upgraded traffic signal equipment.
- Emergency vehicle preemption and transit signal priority.
- Expansion of the stormwater management system.
- Bus bulb-outs and shelters.
- Roadway drainage.
According to Burlington DPW, the parkway project will upgrade traffic circulation, increase roadway capacity to alleviate the overburdened corridor, and improve safety for all users in the southwestern section of town. The work will expand South End connectivity for all users and reduce truck and commuter traffic through the five Avenue neighborhoods.
Once construction gets back under way, the Champlain Parkway will be completed in two phases under a pair of separate construction contracts, which will be executed sequentially.
The initial contract is under way and anticipated to be completed in 2024.
It will include construction of the new parkway road from Home Avenue to Lakeside Avenue — the latter of which will see upgrades — and the section of Pine Street between Lakeside Avenue and Kilburn Street. The first construction season focused on the area between Home and Lakeside avenues.
The final contract will likely begin in 2025 with a 2027 completion. It will see the construction of the Champlain Parkway from I-189 to Home Avenue and upgrades to Pine Street between Kilburn and Main streets.
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