BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A warning for those driving in Burlington — construction season will be busy this summer, affecting several areas of the city. Millions of dollars in repairs, upgrades and new infrastructure are in the works aimed at making the Queen City a better place to drive, bike, and walk.
The Champlain Parkway may still be several years away from completion, but empty sections of it already stretch for blocks.
“The path in its finished state is a huge improvement,” said Cynthia Silvey, who works in Burlington and is among those enjoying the South End’s new improvements.
There’s already $500 million in the pipeline for construction. The city says phase one of the parkway will be ready to open mid-summer. “While it looks nearly done, clearly we want to ensure safety. Traffic signals aren’t up and operating yet they are being installed now. There are markings that need to be put down,” said DPW Director Chapin Spencer.
The city is also about to put out to bid phase two, which will connect 189 to the downtown. The total project is expected to be done in 2026 or 2027. With phase one almost complete, many will notice new upgrades down Pine Street including new curbs, crosswalks, and a brand-new mixed-use path.
“There have already been a lot of cyclists and a reasonable amount of walkers. I expect when it goes somewhere, it’ll even be better. But yeah, it’s a vast improvement over what was here for everyday pedestrian use, and for bikes,” Silvey said.
Also underway in the city is the rebuilding of Main Street as part of the Great Streets voter-approved project. That means a major disruption to traffic and business in the downtown for at least another year. “Burlington right now has half a billion dollars of capital projects either in the pipeline or under construction right now. That ranges everything from the Champlain Parkway to grade streets, Main Street, to replacing sewer lines in the city,” Spencer said.
Looking toward the future, recent zoning changes will allow for hundreds of more housing units that will transform the South End, and promise busy years of construction ahead.