Opponents of a plan to replace two railroad bridges in downtown Middlebury with a tunnel say the old bridges can be replaced faster and for much less money than the project being promoted by the Vermont Transportation Agency.
The comments by Jim Dumont, an attorney for opponents, come after state officials announced they were going to do a detailed examination of the possible risks of the project to avoid possible litigation.
The state says the decision will delay to at least 2018 the start of construction. State officials say they don't know if it will delay the long-term goal of restoring Amtrak rail service to western Vermont by 2020.
Vermont officials have been working for years to improve the tracks between Rutland and Burlington so Amtrak service could be established.
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