Interstate 189
Interstate 189 on the 1964 Official Vermont Highway Map
Opened in 1962, Interstate 189 provides a short freeway connection between U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) and I-89 in South Burlington. The four lane freeway is posted at 55 miles per hour. Extensions of Interstate 189 west were planned to tie the route into the Burlington Belt Line in 1965 and Downtown Burlington via the Southern Connector in 1979.
Map from the 1965 Greater Burlington Urban Area Highway Plan showing the Burlington Belt Line and the western extension of Interstate 189.
Detail of the trumpet interchange envisioned between the west end of Interstate 189 and the Burlington Belt Line from the 1965 Greater Burlington Urban Area Highway Plan.
The Southern Connector was proposed by the early 1970s to follow Pine Street north from I-189 to a curve linking with the southern end of Battery Street. The discovery of contaminated soil around the Pine Street Barge Canal halted work on the expressway north of Pine Street. Nonetheless, "C-1 Segment" of the Southern Connector was constructed in 1981 to the west of U.S. 7.
1980s plans focused on an alternate route for the Southern Connector, with Lakeside Avenue and Pine Street considered as corridors extending north to Downtown (Baird, 2015). The interchange between I-189 and U.S. 7 was originally configured as a trumpet, with a direct connection from westbound to southbound. That ramp was later closed and all westbound traffic redirected to a signalized intersection with U.S. 7.
Plans shifted in the 1990s on the renamed Champlain Parkway to turn north through more residential areas. The design was scaled back from a four lane to two lane roadway by the early 2000s. Main Street was the designated endpoint. Approval for the project was granted by District 4 Environmental Commission on April 27, 2012. Subsequent legal hurdles arose, halting momentum on the project to the issuing of a land-use permit by the Environmental Commission on August 25, 2014. Plans continued into 2015 with the route intended to connect Pine and Battery Streets through the eastern edge of the Vermont Railway yard (Baird, 2015).
Construction on Champlain Parkway finally got underway with the awarding of a $44.8 million contract on May 10, 2022 for the first phase of work. The initial contract built the segment of Champlain Parkway between Home Avenue and Lakeside Avenue while making upgrading Lakeside Avenue and rebuilding a portion of Pine Street. This work ran from Summer 2022 to December 2024 (The City of Burlington, 2026).
A $14.4 million contract was awarded for the second phase of construction on August 14, 2024. Construction got underway in January 2025 on the segment of Champlain Parkway from I-189 at U.S. 7 to Home Avenue. Reconstruction of Pine Avenue between Kilburn Street and Main Street is included in the work underway through Summer 2026 (The City of Burlington, 2026).
East
The eastbound entrance ramp to Interstate 189 from U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) north.
04/24/26
A loop ramp lowers from U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) south onto the eastbound beginning of Interstate 189.
03/24/23
Passing under U.S. 7, I-189 expands to two lanes ahead of the entrance ramp from U.S. 7 north. 2025/26 construction rebuilds the westbound roadway for the connection to Champlain Parkway.
10/06/14
A concrete barrier forces I-189 westbound traffic onto the U.S. 7 exit ramp. Originally a trumpet interchange joined I-189 with U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) along the Burlington and South Burlington city line.
10/06/14
The lone confirming marker for Interstate 189 east stands east of the Farrel Street underpass by the East Woods Natural Area.
04/26/26
The lone confirming marker for Interstate 189 east stands east of the Farrel Street underpass by the East Woods Natural Area.
03/24/23
An end sign for Interstate 189 was installed by 2011 at milepost 0.6.
04/24/26
Interstate 189 east separates into three ramps within the next half mile. The first exit joins I-89 south to Williston, Richmond and Montpelier.
04/24/26
Heading south from Interstate 189, I-89 travels 34 miles to U.S. 2 at Montpelier, 86.5 miles to I-91 at White River Junction and 148 miles to I-93 in Bow, New Hampshire.
04/24/26
Remaining traffic along Interstate 189 east partitions into ramps for I-89 north to Milton, St. Albans and Quebec, Canada, and Kennedy Drive east to Dorset Street and Burlington International Airport (BTV).
04/24/26
I-189 east transitions directly onto Kennedy Drive at the signalized intersection with Dorset Street. Dorset Street leads south to suburban areas ahead of the Shelburne town line and north to University Mall and U.S. 2 (Williston Street).
08/02/07
Kennedy Drive extends 1.51 miles east from I-189 and Dorset Street to U.S. 2 (Williston Road) and Airport Road.
08/02/07
Trailblazers for Interstate 189 and U.S. 7 precede the signalized intersection of Kennedy Drive west at Dorset Street. The four lane parkway transitions into the westbound beginning of the freeway ahead.
08/02/07
Dorset Street heads south to the town of Shelburne and north to University Mall and U.S. 2 (Williston Road) beside the cloverleaf interchange with I-89.
07/24/05
West
Ramps from Kennedy Drive and Interstate 89 combine along I-189 west ahead of the Spear Street underpass. Interstate 189 continues one mile to the unnumbered interchange with U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road).
04/26/26
The lone westbound reassurance marker was added to I-189 by 2011.
04/26/26
U.S. 7 leaves Shelburne for Vergennes, where it separates with VT 22A. U.S. 7 turns eastward to Middlebury and Rutland while VT 22A provides part of a route to New York State via the Crown Point Bridge.
04/26/26
Peak hour congestion can back up traffic along I-189 westbound well ahead of the signalized ramp end with U.S. 7.
04/26/26
The Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York rise to the west beyond the parclo interchange joining Interstate 189 with U.S. 7 (Shelbourne Road).
04/26/26
2025/26 construction rebuilds the previously unused roadway of I-189 west as part of Champlain Parkway leading north to Lakeside Avenue.
10/10/14
U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) travels 176 miles in Vermont from the north end of I-89 near Highgate Springs to the Massachusetts state line at Pownal. The route ventures 67 miles south to Rutland.
04/26/26
Traffic originally continued west on I-189 to a directional ramp joining U.S. 7 southbound ahead of Queen City Park Road. Prior to construction of Champlain Parkway, the unused roadway built for the Southern Connector looped northwest to Home Avenue.
04/26/26
U.S. 7 (Shelbourne Road) constitutes a busy commercial route through South Burlington. Heading north, U.S. 7 passes by the South End community en route to Ethan Allen Highway and a bypass of Downtown Burlington. The Shelburne town center lies five miles to the south along the US highway.
04/26/26
Two lanes turn onto U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) south across from an entrance to Shelburne Road Plaza shopping center.
04/26/26
References:
Baird, J. (2015, February 19). Message in a bottleneck: Champlain Parkway. Burlington Free Press. https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2015/02/18/message-bottleneck-burlington-mayoral-candidates-debate-champlain-parkway/23577475/
The City of Burlington. (n.d.). Champlain Parkway Project Overview. Retrieved April 14, 2026 from https://www.champlainparkway.com/overview.
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman: 07/24/05, 10/10/14, 04/24/26, 04/26/26
- ABRoads: 10/06/14, 03/24/23
- AARoads: 08/02/07
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Page Updated Monday May 04, 2026.