The Circumferential Highway, the partially built highway originally conceived to link I-89 in Williston to the north end of Burlington via Essex and Colchester, may be dead in that form, as Governor Shumlin indicated in May 2011, but an alternate plan to fix up existing roadways in the area to relieve traffic congestion could cost $13.9 million.
The CIRC Alternatives Task Force met on November 29th to prioritize and prepare a list of immediate recommendations for Phase II projects and activities that address the purpose and need of the original CIRC highway.
The package of projects represents a $13.9 million infrastructure and program investment, and include (in no particular order):
· US2/Trader Lane Traffic Signal, Williston, estimated project cost - $550,000
· Severance Corners Improvements, Colchester, estimated project cost - $6,000,000
· VT15/Sand Hill Road Intersection, Essex, estimated project cost - $1,600,000
· VT15 Improvements Post Office Square to 5-Corners, Essex Junction, estimated project cost - $2,300,000
· VT15 Multiuse Path, Winooski, Colchester, Essex, and Essex Junction, estimated project cost $2,000,000
· Transportation Demand Management, Region-wide, Adaptive Signal Control, Go! Chittenden County Program Expansion, CCTA Commuter Service estimated project cost -- $1,476,000
Since Governor Shumlins May 20, 2011 Press Conference in Williston announcing that the Circumferential Highway would not be built, the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) staff have been busy coordinating with VTrans and the CIRC Communities (Colchester, Essex, Essex Junction, and Williston).
The Governor asked that the MPO coordinate a process to identify projects and planning activities which would aid in meeting the original Purpose and Need of the CIRC Highway Project, which broadly stated are mobility, congestion, transportation demand, safety, livability, and economic development.
The package embraces the guiding principles transportation planning - increasing safety and supporting designated growth areas, explains Michelle Boomhower, Assistant Director of the CCRPC, and lead on the CIRC Alternatives Task Force. By combining safety, accessibility, connectivity, and system preservation, these projects will begin to address identified problem areas in the CIRC study area.
The Task Force will continue to work on identifying projects to inform the mid-term implementation project list.The Task Force anticipates completion of the mid-term planning studies by the fall of 2013, and will prioritize the next round of implementation projects for consideration of inclusion in the FY15 Transportation Capital Program.
The above project recommendations were submitted to Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles, on November 30th, and will be presented to the Legislature in January. A February meeting to present the package to the public is anticipated.
The Circ has been promised and defeated politically and legally several times over the years. The administration of Governor Jim Douglas thought it had the I-89/Williston section ready to go in the early 2000s - and even had a ground breaking replete with refreshments - before the courts rejected the plan on environmental grounds. IBM has been pushing for a plan to make access more efficient for its campus in Essex Junction/Williston.
The Circ, as originally conceived 30 years ago, will not be built, Governor Shumlin said at the news conference in 2011. Lets face that reality while also recognizing that significant transportation problems exist in this region that need to be addressed. By bringing together stakeholders in the spirit of collaboration, I believe we will find more cost effective and modern solutions to our CUlTent challenges.
A highway in Chittenden County along the Circ route has been discussed since the 1960s and formal planning on-going in some form since 1982, but only a four-mile stretch of the 16-mile project in Essex has been completed to date. In recent years, the project has been stalled.
In addition, previous work was funded mostly from federal earmarked funds. Future work, however, will require $60 million to $80 million dollars in regular state and federal program funds. At a time when all signs point to less state and federal funding in the future, it is a price tag, the governor said, that the state cannot afford.
For a more detailed description of each of the projects listed above, in the full funding request letter to Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles, please visit:www.circtaskforce.org, and click on Documents and Maps.