WINOOSKI, Vt. (WCAX) – The ambitious Winooski Main Street revitalization project, five years in the making, finally broke ground Monday.
The plan brings improvements to the roadway, including more room for bikers and walkers, landscaping, new stormwater infrastructure, and the relocation of powerlines underground.
“We’re hoping that triggers more development along the corridor, which means more economic growth, more housing potential, so it’s hitting a lot of city priorities by doing this work,” said Winooski Public Works Director Jon Rauscher.
As of Tuesday, parts of the street are closed for construction, and all southbound traffic has been redirected to Weaver Street. Officials say traffic has been flowing smoothly, but it will be interesting to see what traffic will look like when school is back in session.
Rauscher says they’re keeping an eye on rush hour traffic in particular. With the road closures and noise, some businesses expressed concerns about how it could affect sales.
Rauscher says they tried to anticipate these concerns as much as possible, teaming up with downtown Winooski stakeholders. “We’re working with them on a ‘shop local’ campaign to try to get foot traffic to the main street businesses,” said Rauscher.
With construction set to run until 2026, some who live nearby aren’t thrilled about the disturbances, but still say they feel it is necessary.
“Pulling out here, we have to go a different way now. It feels like we’re about to live in a work zone for a while which is a bit disheartening. The road needs help, going over those rumble strips going down to the circle, it feels a little crazy, and it feels like a project that probably needs to happen,” said Winooski resident Kayli O’Donnell.
“There’s a lot of places that aren’t getting that help, aren’t getting the infrastructure that really also need it, so knowing that Winooski is taking the time and budget to do things like this is actually encouraging,” said Winooski resident Aeryc Murphy.
Rauscher says the city’s doing its best to address further community concerns, like potentially being trapped in their driveways, or having utilities turned off.
“We have a pretty good plan with our contractor in making sure we provide a minimum 24 hours notice for any of that type of work,” said Rauscher.
He says the contractor is targeting completion by the end of next year, but conservatively, they’re looking at 2026.