After 61 years of planning and debate, the city of Burlington this week opened a 2.8-mile road that links the downtown and the interstate via a residential area.
Officials gathered at the junction of Home Avenue and the Champlain Parkway to cut a 61-foot-long ribbon symbolizing how long it has taken the project to be completed.
The Champlain Parkway was first conceived in 1965.
Public Works Director Chapin Spencer has been involved in the project for 15 years
“Given this project is older than many of us standing here, I must remark, what a long strange trip this has been. And when I joke it took a bike advocate to build a highway, there’s an underlying bit of truth here. There are as many miles of new shared use path as part of this project as there are miles of new section of roadway. That shows real commitment to multi-modal transportation.”
The road begins in Burlington’s downtown and moves through the city’s South End residential neighborhood, then connects to Interstate-189 in South Burlington. The project included stormwater upgrades, pedestrian access improvements and buried utility lines along the route.
The project was often controversial because of its route through residential areas. When the city council approved the construction contract on April 25, 2022, South End resident Jeffrey Decena spoke out against it.
“I know that this council has been very vocal about our sustainability goals and I’m very excited to be part of a community that takes livable, bikeable, walkable infrastructure seriously. And I see the Champlain Parkway as not forwarding those goals.”
Returning to this week’s celebration to open the parkway, Mayor Emma Mulvney-Stanak says the project evolved to meet the needs of residents and sustainability goals
“This project has never been just about building a road. It’s been about something much bigger: how our city grows, how neighborhoods are connected and how we move about Burlington. It also reflects how we’ve adapted based on different priorities of different generations and different decades. Over time this project changed substantially. Its scope was reduced. Its design evolved. Community feedback helped shape the final results.”
Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn grew up in the neighborhood.
“A quick internet reference calls it one of the most notorious infrastructure projects in the United States! The parkway will support economic vitality, improve mobility and strengthen the multimodal connections necessary for a thriving community. And it will do so for many more decades than it’s taken to get us to today.”
City Council President Ben Traverse said the benefits of the parkway project are already noticeable.
“Bike and pedestrian connections between the South End and downtown are vastly improved. The frustrating traffic backups in our interior South End streets can finally begin to ease. We are unlocking opportunities for thousands of additional housing units right down this street. And it will strengthen our connections throughout our city and with our neighboring communities.”
The $84 million project was 95% funded by the federal government, 3% state and 2% local.
The celebration ended as a 1965 Ford Mustang led a procession of the first vehicles to travel the Champlain Parkway.
Audio is courtesy of WCAX.
