Frequently Asked Questions

The project team includes the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), the Cities of Burlington and Winooski, the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) and HNTB, the design consultant. The project is administered by VTrans on behalf of the Cities, with HNTB providing design services and CCRPC acting in a support/advisory role.

The bridge has been in service for nearly 100 years and is reaching the end of its service life. Due to continued deterioration and its narrow width that no longer meets the needs of the community, a decision was made to replace the bridge. Refer to the Project’s Scoping Report (see Project Documents page on this website) for additional information.

Active construction is anticipated to begin in 2027. Intermittent onsite field work and data collection will be occurring over the next few years to support the design efforts.

Construction is anticipated to take 2 to 3 years. This duration will continue to be evaluated as the design progresses.

The project is anticipated to be complete in 2030.

Design-Build is a project delivery method that allows Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to execute a single, fixed fee contract for construction and final design. Design-Build has two primary phases: preliminary design and construction. The preliminary design phase will occur over the next few years as the project team establishes project-specific criteria and impact limitations that the construction team will need to satisfy.

The selected construction team then completes the design and construction for their solution that meets criteria established by the project team. This contracting method allows the project to be contracted more quickly, for construction to commence earlier than traditional construction contracting methods and promotes increased innovation and cost-savings measures due to the competitive bid environment among contractor teams. Refer to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): Design-Build Information for additional information.

Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) makes use of prefabricated elements to minimize the amount of construction work on site. Elements for bridges are built off site in a fabrication plant or nearby staging yard. Once they are completed, these elements can be brought to the site and be quickly installed with less impact to the traveling public than conventional bridge construction methods. By employing ABC, impacts to traffic can be reduced from months to just weeks or even days. Refer to Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Accelerated Bridge Program FAQs for additional information.

Pedestrian and bicyclist facilities will be provided throughout construction. Short term or intermittent closures may be required.

Yes. This overall project will include intersection improvements immediately south of the bridge, involving Riverside Street, Colchester Avenue, Mill Street, and Barrett Street. The improvements will generally consist of roadway reconstruction and traffic signal modifications, with the goal of improving safety and mobility for all users.

The existing three-way intersection will be reconfigured, thereby simplifying geometry to feature a four-way intersection with modernized traffic control and enhanced bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

A roundabout at this site was evaluated as part of the scoping study. Although roundabouts have been successfully implemented throughout Vermont, this particular site has notable constraints that led to the roundabout option being ruled out. Specifically, the width required for a roundabout to convey the traffic volume at this site resulted in impacts to historic properties and impacts to the steep slopes adjacent to the Winooski River. Additionally, the topography of the site would result in undesirable roadway grades along the roundabout.

The intersection will feature crosswalks with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accommodations and the revised intersection configuration aims to reduce pedestrian and bicycle crossing distances. The proposed traffic signal phasing will result in improved pedestrian safety through one or more of the following: exclusive pedestrian phases, concurrent pedestrian phases, leading pedestrian intervals, restricted turn movements on red, and pedestrian detection. The signal design is in progress and the intent is to balance improvements to mobility for all modes of travel, without compromising safety.

The intersection geometry also significantly reduces vehicular conflict points compared to the existing intersection complex, which reduces driver confusion and contributes to a safer intersection.

The bridge project has received a federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) Grant that will cover a portion of the project construction. The bridge project costs will be split as follows: 80% Federal, 10% State, 5% City of Burlington, and 5% City of Winooski.

Construction of the intersection immediately south of the bridge is 100% Federally funded.

In general, the bridge is anticipated to improve mobility for all users by incorporating slightly wider travel lanes and wider multi-use paths/sidewalks to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles. Overall, the new bridge will be approximately 24 feet wider than the existing bridge. However, much of the remaining appearance of the new bridge is yet to be determined, and some features will be influenced by public input.

Yes. The new bridge will have the same number of traffic lanes as the existing bridge to accommodate the high volume and types of vehicles (e.g., buses and emergency vehicles) that cross the Winooski River at this location. In addition to traffic volume, the four lanes will:

• Allow for future flexibility in repurposing space on the bridge if travel modes change.
• Act as an emergency crossing in the event of a major accident on I-89.
• Better accommodate emergency vehicle access over the bridge, compared to a narrower bridge.
• Better accommodate future maintenance on the bridge by allowing traffic to be shifted around.

The existing travel lanes on the bridge are approximately 10 feet and 6 inches wide. The proposed travel lanes are 11 feet wide. The proposed lane widths on the bridge are governed by the Vermont State Design Standards and are based on the roadway classification, traffic volume, and design speed. This roadway is a designated truck route and is classified as a Principal Arterial, which indicates that this is a critical roadway with a relatively high traffic volume that includes wide vehicles such as buses and emergency services. Given the urban context, the lower end of the allowable width for travel lanes on this type of roadway are proposed for this project.

Yes. Narrow, 2 foot wide shoulders will be added adjacent to the traffic lanes. This is the minimum shoulder width, as per the Vermont State Design Standards, for this type of roadway. The shoulders provide several benefits, including:

• A buffer between vehicles and the barrier separating the roadway and multi-use path.
• Providing snow storage following winter storms.
• Improving vehicle safety by separating stormwater runoff from the travel lanes.

The project team has received comments related to concerns with vehicle speeds on the bridge and is in the process of assessing traffic calming measures that may be appropriate for inclusion in the project. Traffic calming will likely consist primarily of striping, signing, and roadway layout. As part of the intersection improvements, Riverside Avenue and Colchester Avenue may be realigned such that low vehicular speeds will be required to navigate the intersection. The project team has determined that certain traffic calming measures, such as raised intersections and raised crosswalks, are not appropriate for this project based on the traffic volume, roadway classification, and due to winter maintenance concerns.