VT: Feds sign off on "Champlain Parkway" (Burlington)

[froggie]

According to this article, the FHWA has issued a Record of Decision giving the go-ahead for a scaled down Champlain Parkway in Burlington.  Also called the "Southern Connector" by some, this road would extend from the I-189/US 7 interchange to the west and north as a 2-lane parkway, connecting into Pine St.  The project includes improvements to Pine St extending into downtown Burlington.

VTrans has electronic copies of the ROD and the FSEIS online.

Final design, required permits, and of course construction funding still need to be ironed out.  The city estimates that under a best-case scenario, the road would be completed ca. 2013-2014.

[Alex]

Its about time they did something with that plan. Did they get the Superfund site cleaned up, or will the road bypass it?

[froggie]

From what I understand, the shift to use Pine St was done in part to avoid the Superfund site.

[Duke87]

Question: Why, when you already have four lanes worth of existing pavement and grading curving around from the interchange to Home Avenue, would you narrow it to two?

Go ahead and build only two lanes north of there if it ruins the neighborhood less or something, but don't destroy what you've already created.

[Alps]

Those two lanes are so ratty by now (the pavement was laid decades ago) that it all has to be torn up and rebuilt anyway.

[vdeane]

Personally I think they should extend I-189 but I guess this is better than nothing.

[Alps]

I'm gonna assume this'll be VT 189 once complete.

[sammack]

I'm gonna assume this'll be VT 189 once complete.

I doubt it, the construction contracts are to be let by the City of Burlington.

[yakra]

I'm gonna assume this'll be VT 189 once complete.

I doubt it, the construction contracts are to be let by the City of Burlington.

I'm not so sure; there are city-maintained state-numbered highways all over the place. Take (Most of? All of?) VT127 for example.
Froggie, what does your crystal ball say?

[froggie]

Let's see if it gets built first.  But if I had to hazard a bet, I'd expect it to get a "Town Highway" designation, which to the layman means it'll go unnumbered.