Governor Jim Douglas today announced that The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will award more than $10 million in Federal Economic Stimulus funds to improve roadways, sidewalks, bridges and other transportation infrastructure owned by 30 Vermont municipalities and non profits. The money will be distributed in three ways: 10 communities will receive paving grants ranging from $300,000 to $750,000, eight communities or non profits will receive transportation enhancement grants ranging from $52,000 to $240,000, while the Vermont Agency of Transportation will expend up to $5 million in Stimulus funds to repair 12 structurally deficient town highway bridges.
These funds will ensure that Vermont towns and villages receive the benefit of transportation stimulus funding distributed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Governor Douglas said. Not only will these funds create jobs in towns across Vermont, it will also repair a dozen structurally deficient bridges, build sidewalks and pave miles of town roads that otherwise would not receive attention.
Paving grants were issued to the following communities:
Town
Paving Project
Estimate
Alburgh
West Shore Road/Isle Lamotte Bridge
$411,750
Barton
TH #1 (VT 16)
$578,250
Berlin
Paine Turnpike North (Berlin Four Corners)
$365,612
City of Newport
Lake Road
$362,163
Hardwick
Center Road
$450,000
Lincoln
River Road, encompassing West River Rd, East River Rd, Gap Road to the National Forest.
$300,000
Milton
Lake Road
$370,530
Strafford
Route 132
$750,000
Topsham
Powder Spring Road
$675,000
Town of West Rutland
Marble St, Whipple Hollow Road
$709,413
Town highway bridges will be repaired in these communities:
Town
Bridge
Estimate
(This is a planning estimate only)
Barnet
TH 81 (Garland Hill), bridge #42
$135,000
Benson
TH 2 (VT 144), bridge #17
$220,000
Belvidere
Town Highway 3, bridge #12
$75,000
Bethel
TH 79 (Old Route 12), bridge #48
$195,000
Braintree
Town Highway 23, bridge #12
$750,000
Enosburg
TH 7 (Longley Bridge Road), bridge #9
$135,000
Greensboro
TH 4 (Main Street), bridge #26
$245,000
Newbury
TH 50 (Peach Brook Road), bridge #65
$145,000
Newfane
Town Highway 47, bridge #50
$170,000
Rutland Town
TH 11 (McKinley Avenue), bridge #9
$450,000
St. Johnsbury
US 2, bridge #104 (Portland Street)
$1,060,000
Wardsboro
Town Highway 1 (FAS 114), bridge #11
$720,000
The Transportation Enhancement Grant Committee awarded Transportation Enhancement Grants to the following projects:
Town
Enhancement Project
Estimate
Franklin
Safe Routes to School Sidewalk
$84,000
Groton
Kettle Pond ADA
$52,000
Montpelier
Vine Street Pedestrian Bridge
$168,000
North Hero
Knight Point State Park ADA Trail
$12,000
Pawlet/Poultney
D&H Rail Trail
$184,000
Shelburne
Mount Philo Road Sidewalk STPWalk(26)
$156,870
So. Burlington
So. Burlington Bike Path Project Repaving
$158,948
Town of Essex
VT15 Sidewalk Project
$240,000
The paving grants were issued on a competitive basis, while enhancement grants were issued to communities or nonprofit organizations that demonstrated projects were shovel ready. VTrans selected the bridges for repair based on structural deficiency and an ability to complete repairs within the deadlines stipulated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.