Construction on the walk-bike bridge known as the East-West Crossing in South Burlington, Vt., is expected to start at the end of 2024, city leaders said recently, with a target opening set for two years later.
The $14.5 million project, which would see a bridge for cyclists and pedestrians stretch over Interstate 89, has been in development for several years with the aim of addressing how people can cross one of the riskier stretches of highway in the state.
Design work on the East-West Crossing is about 60 percent finished, according to Ilona Blanchard, South Burlington's community development director, and a study is under way to determine connection points between the bridge, existing walk and bike lanes, and sidewalks nearby.
"We have to do good planning for what happens on both sides of the bridge. Does it all match up? Does it all feel comfortable? Is it connected to where people want to go?" said Bryan Davis, the city's senior transportation planner.
Blanchard expects that construction of the bridge will fly by, adding that the project is on track to open in 2026, VermontBiz reported Nov. 3.
"It's going to add to the community on so many levels," she said. "It is a very multi-dimensional project. It really creates a strong east-west travel corridor for people who are walking and biking."
Design and construction on the East-West Crossing project is partially funded by a $9.8 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant — a competitive annual award from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The city of South Burlington also is paying a significant amount for the project, said City Councilor Meaghan Emery.
Blanchard added that local officials are still looking for gap funding to complete the project.
The federal grant program gives money specifically to projects that reduce carbon emissions and support underprivileged populations, Emery noted.
"I feel very strongly that we have to really invest in making it possible for people to get out of their cars and [for those] who don't have cars to be able to get from point A to point B," she said.
Bridge Seen as Critical to Pedestrian-Cyclist Safety
The proposed route for the bridge would start near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington before crossing I-89 close to the Williston Road bridge over the freeway, connecting the larger city with South Burlington.
The completed project would allow walkers and cyclists to bypass eight potentially dangerous highway ramps along a busy section of Williston Road.
In a 2018 report released by the city and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, over 75 percent of respondents indicated that they felt "very uncomfortable" walking or biking across the existing Williston Road bridge, which extends over the cloverleaf interchange west of Dorset Street.
"I biked across there once and I said, ‘Never again,' recalled Emery. "It's incredibly dangerous to bike down Williston Road. I did not feel comfortable doing it."
VermontBiz noted that data collected by transportation engineers confirms her concerns.
Four intersections and five roadway segments on that portion of Williston Road were listed as high-crash locations by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) in its own 2018 study, with some exceeding 200 collisions between 2010 and 2014.
Emery hopes the planned structure's sleek design will also help put South Burlington on the map.
"Oftentimes when South Burlington is noted in the press — like the national press — it shows Church Street in Burlington, so we really need our own symbol," she said.
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