After five months of major construction, the final significant segment of Burlington’s eight-mile-long waterfront path has reopened.
Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger, Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Director Cindi Wight, and President of the Burlington Parks Foundation John Bossange on December 17 celebrated the reopening of the final significant segment of the Burlington Greenway. A key component of the Mayor’s commitment to public infrastructure, the $13 million Greenway Rehabilitation project broke ground in October 2014 in the central Waterfront area.
“Today we celebrate a major milestone in our City Team’s work of restoring the full 8 miles of the Burlington Greenway,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “The path is perhaps one of the best features that our City has to offer, providing stunning views and a means of affordable, environmentally-friendly transportation for the thousands of residents and visitors who use it each year. I’m grateful for our City team and many partners who have made this transformation possible.”
BPRW Director Cindi Wight added, “My passion is recreation, but I quickly learned from the Mayor and my staff that I would be devoting a lot of my team to completing the many infrastructure upgrades that Burlington desperately needed. My passion for outdoor recreation, and in particular my love of bicycling, has helped guide and connect these projects to the focused project work that BPRW implements every year. It just so happens that I am fortunate enough to be able to utilize much of the length of the path in my daily commute to and from my house in the New North End to the BPRW offices on Pine Street in the South End.”
The Greenway throughout Oakledge Park has been reconstructed to the City’s standard width of 11 feet and 2-foot shoulders on either side, with several alignment changes made to preserve trees and provide a gentler grade to accommodate all users. Other improvements of the path include removal of the alignment through the upper parking lot and placing it between the pavilion and parking area to improve safety. Seating has also been added on the steepest area of the Greenway between the upper pavilion and the first phase of the Oakledge for All Playground to provide resting areas along the path.
Several features have also been added along this section including an exercise pad (which will be installed in 2022), a vendor pad, and an overhaul of the beach access at Flynn Avenue which, prior to construction, had been challenging to traverse due to a concrete block wall that retained the area. Now large boulders play the role of retainment, and a concrete staircase and ramp have been added so that all can access the beach safely and with ease. The boulders also protect the new path infrastructure from the elements and the lake’s wave action. Plantings additionally enhance the area and provide naturalized structure and visual interest year-round.
The southern-most entry into Oakledge Park at Austin Drive has equally been transformed into a true gateway into the park and pause place for visitors with seating and signage and a kiosk planned for 2022. The Austin Drive pause place on the Burlington Bike Path is dedicated in loving memory of Alan Gottesman, who was born and raised in Burlington, by his family. Alan would have appreciated the Bike Path for the ways it makes our city more livable and environmentally friendly.
"The Parks Foundation has received hundreds of contributions in support of the bike path,” said John Bossange, President of the Parks Foundation. “The Gottesmans were of one our initial, major donors who helped launch this successful campaign that began five years ago. Today we honor them for helping the City complete this seven-mile treasure along the lake."
With the addition of universal access to Blanchard Beach, park entry points to the Greenway to provide a safe entrance into Oakledge Park, and additional features, City Officials, Parks Foundation donors, and residents are excited to reopen the new and improved multi-use path.
Source: Burlington, VT – 12.17.2021. Mayor Miro Weinberger