Highway Bill That Includes
$38.5 M. Secured By Sen. Patrick Leahy
For Additional Vermont Transportation Work
Is Signed Today (Wednesday) By President Bush
. . . New List Of Vermont Projects
Not Previously Announced
MONTPELIER, Vt. (Wednesday, Aug. 10) –
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy Wednesday announced transportation
projects throughout Vermont, totaling $38.5 million, that he has
secured in the transportation bill that President Bush will sign
into law Wednesday. These Vermont projects have not previously been
announced.
[The President
will speak about and sign the transportation bill Wednesday at about
11:30 a.m. in Montgomery, Ill.]
“Our communities and our commerce are
big winners in this updated transportation bill,” Leahy said.
“These are much-needed road, bridge, and telecommunication
infrastructure upgrades that will make a real difference in the
daily lives of Vermonters.”
Leahy said the overall bill, which
includes a wide variety of previously announced Vermont projects, is
a credit to Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), the Ranking Member of the
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which handled the
Senate’s work in writing the bill. Earlier announcements have
listed projects included in the bill by Jeffords, Leahy and Rep.
Bernie Sanders. The following is a newly announced list of projects
that Leahy also included in the transportation bill:
·
U.S. Route 2
Improvements in Danville: $5 million
The Danville Project is a partnership of the Vermont Agency of
Transportation (VTrans), the Vermont Arts Council, and the Town of
Danville to maintain and reinforce local aesthetic and cultural
values in downtown Danville while upgrading the portion of U.S.
Route 2 that runs through the heart of the rural village center.
The Arts Council was approached five years ago to involve artists in
the design process to help the Town define its own vision for its
future within the context of this large public works project.
Consensus was reached in 2002 on how to proceed with the design
elements, and Leahy secured the first funds for the roadwork portion
of the project -- nearly $2 million -- last year. These new funds
bring the total secured by Leahy for the project to $7 million.
“These road and streetscape improvements in Danville are essential
in improving traffic safety along Route 2,” said Leahy. “Thanks to
community leaders in Danville, officials at VTrans and the Vermont
Arts Council, Danville will get a safer and more efficient road that
honors Danville’s past while providing for its future. This
partnership and what it has achieved can be a model in Vermont for
how to coordinate transportation upgrades and community
development.”
·
Johnson Main Street
and Pearl Street Bridges: $5 million
Building upon the nearly $2 million that Leahy secured for the
Johnson Main Street Revitalization Project last year, Leahy obtained
an additional $5 million this year to rehabilitate two bridges in
the village center. The funds will be split, providing $3.6 million
for the Main Street Bridge, and $1.4 million for the Pearl Street
Bridge. The entire project will rebuild the bridges, provide a
pedestrian-friendly sidewalk system and a new bicycle travel system,
and install traffic-calming improvements downtown throughout the
village.
"These improvements will help make the village an easier place in
which to work or shop or stroll, while also making it a nicer place
to visit,” said Leahy. “The Vermont Council on Rural Development's
community visit a few years ago laid out a vision for the future of
the town. The citizens of Johnson, Town Manager Duncan Hastings,
and the town's legislative delegation of Floyd Nease and Susan
Barlett worked diligently to bring the Main Street Project
together. Pedestrians and cyclists will be safer, and the village
will maintain its unique Vermont appeal. These bridge and road
improvements will make the village an easier place to do business
and a nicer place to go for a walk or a bike ride."
·
Church Street
Improvements in Burlington: $6 million
With this $6 million allocation, coupled with $1.8 million in
previous funding, Leahy has secured nearly $8 million to help repair
the successful Church Street Marketplace over the past four years.
The Marketplace has identified the following areas of need in the
project’s capital improvement program: improvements to its
antiquated electrical system, additional brick and amenities
replacement, information directories and kiosks, alleyway
improvements leading to the Bank Street parking garage, and expanded
bricking for the side streets (Cherry, Bank, College, and Main).
·
Burlington
Waterfront Transportation Improvements: $3.5 million
The City of Burlington is planning to improve vehicle, pedestrian,
and bicycle access to the waterfront. In order to accommodate the
College Street Shuttle, roadway improvements will be made and a bus
shelter will be built in front of ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake
Champlain. The City is also working on designs for safer pedestrian
access across several points along Battery Street, as well as a
reconfiguration of the Depot Street/North Avenue intersection.
"Forward-thinking and people-friendly improvements like these have
helped downtown Burlington to remain vital and vigorous,” said
Leahy. "Church Street and the Burlington Waterfront have been
dramatically transformed over the past 20 years, and these
investments will help to continue the transformation.”
·
U.S. Route 2 and
I-89 Interchange (Exit 14) Improvements: $7 million
This funding will help alleviate traffic congestion at the I-89 and
Williston Road interchange in South Burlington. The State of
Vermont and the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization
recently completed a scoping study which called for major
improvements at this heavily used and often congested intersection.
Leahy secured these funds to construct the recommended enhancements.
·
Colchester Campus
Road Project: $1 million
As part of the ongoing Route 15 Corridor Improvement Plan, a roadway
and pedestrian path is planned in Colchester to connect the main
campus of St. Michael’s College to its Fort Ethan Allen Campus and
to the Fanny Allen Hospital Campus. The project will connect the
existing roadways of Winchester Place Road to Johnson Avenue and
provide enhanced interconnectivity by developing pedestrian, bike
and shuttle bus service away from busy Route 15. Leahy previously
secured $1 million to start the planning for this project two years
ago.
“Route 15 is a busy road, which is a mixed blessing for the
residents and students in Colchester. It’s convenient but not all
that comfortable to walk across,” Leahy said. “These road
improvements and the Johnson Avenue extension will improve traffic
flow along the corridor and improve pedestrian and biker safety.”
·
Essex Junction
Downtown Improvements: $1 million
Leahy secured another $1 million for the Village of Essex Junction
to continue with roadway, sidewalk, streetscape and pedestrian
improvements in the Village downtown. The Village has put all
necessary design plans and programs in place to complete the road
upgrade, the installation of curbing and sidewalks, and the
installation of street lighting and traffic signals. These
improvements are an essential step in revitalizing this historic
village center that was once a major railroad hub in Vermont and in
building upon the nearly $500,000 that Leahy secured for this
project last year.
“These improvements will help breathe new life into Essex Junction’s
historic downtown center,” said Leahy. “The streetscape and street
lighting upgrades will improve the efficiency of traffic patterns
and the safety of pedestrians.”
·
Vermont Statewide
Rural Advanced Traveler System And Fiber Construction: $10 million
These funds will be used to continue development of a rural advanced
traveler information system in Vermont by wiring the state’s
highways for broadband service. The State of Vermont is in the
midst of an ambitious effort to develop an interactive, web-based
database comprised of travel and tourism information about the
state. A major component of this effort is a rural advanced
traveler information system that provides weather and road condition
information to motorists, and which ties into the overall marketing
of Vermont’s travel and tourism. With funds that Leahy has set
aside in previous years, the State of Vermont has developed the
infrastructure necessary to sustain a web-based information system
that is accessible from information locations around the state and
that can be accessed through
http://www.vermontvacation.com/. These funds will likely be
adequate to install broadband fiber along all of Interstates 89 and
91. That fiber, frequently referred to as the telecommunications
highway of the 21st Century, will not only serve the
rural traveler information system but also improve broadband
internet and telecommunications access throughout Vermont.
# # # # #
Contact Information:
Burlington:
Michael Monte, Burlington CEDO, 802-865-7144
Ron Redmond, Church Street Executive Director, 802-865-7254
Colchester:
Al Voegele, Town Manager, 802-654-0709
Bryan Osborne,
Director of Public Works, 802-654-0716
Danville:
Merton Leonard, Danville Administrative
Assistant, 802-684-3352
John Zwich, Vermont
Arts Council, 802-828-0152
Scott Rogers, VTrans, 802-828-2645
Essex Junction:
Charles Safford, Village Manager,
802-878-6944
Johnson:
Duncan Hastings, Town Manager, 802-635-2611
ext. 308
South Burlington:
Jim Condos, City Council, 802-863-4511 ext. 373
ConnectVermont Project:
Robert White, VTrans, 802-828-2781
