BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The city of Burlington is looking for more cash to fix old pipes that were unintentionally broken during infrastructure upgrades.
Part of the ongoing Main Street construction project includes fixing a sewer, but during that work, old water and wastewater pipes are falling apart due to their age.
The city’s public works department is requesting an additional $550,000 to fix them.
Officials say it’s better to address the issues now so the old infrastructure doesn’t break once the project is complete.
“This investment in the grand scheme of things is much cheaper to do it when the street is open than to do it as a separate project. So we have coordinated with our various divisions and public works to make sure we’re doing this street renovation right and getting all the utilities that need to be repaired, repaired or replaced,” Burlington Public Works Director Chapin Spencer said.
The majority of this project is being paid for by a voter-approved method called tax increment financing or TIF, allowing the city to incur debt for large projects and pay it back using tax revenue the project creates.
Meanwhile, the vision for major road improvements in downtown Burlington is coming together.
Significant changes will be coming to portions of Bank and Cherry streets as part of a voter-approved TIF project, mainly surrounding the CityPlace development.
On Bank Street, the city is looking to put in curbless streets with bollards and trees as the barrier to allow for more flexibility.
“It’ll open up the opportunity for festivals that will open up the opportunity for closures of the street to have big events and yet still be a vital vibrant street, whether it’s the wintertime or the summertime,” Spencer said.
The upgrades will look similar to the future Main Street which is modeled after the renovation of St. Paul Street.