Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Transportation (AOT) today continued to repair damage to state roads and bridges throughout the state from the heavy rain and flooding earlier this week.
As of early Saturday evening, only 12 state roads remained closed, 12 state roads were partially open to one lane of traffic, and 87 state roads have been reopened that were previously closed.
A total of 211 bridge inspections have been completed this week in damaged areas as of today, and there are 4 state bridges closed and 4 town structures currently closed, according to the information available to AOT.
“Our crews have been working tirelessly all week to repair the damaged state roads and bridges, and to restore the state’s transportation infrastructure for Vermonters and visitors to our state,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. “The Agency’s focus in recent years on resiliency planning and implementing lessons learned from Tropical Storm Irene has enabled us to work on recovery efforts more effectively, wisely, and quickly than ever before.”
Rail lines throughout Vermont were also damaged by the rain and flooding. Today, AOT reopened 57 miles of rail lines, and 64 miles of rail line remains closed. The first freight since the rail closures moved from Rutland to Hoosick, NY. Service on the Amtrak Ethan Allen Express and Vermonter was suspended earlier in the week, and the Ethan Allen resumed northbound service on Friday and southbound service this morning. There is no estimate yet for when Vermonter service will be restored.
Late Friday, AOT also reopened three of the state’s rail trails: the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail, Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail, and Beebe Spur Rail. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) remains fully closed as crews continue to asses the damage. For updates on trail conditions, visit the Vermont Rail Trail System website at https://railtrails.vermont.gov/ and click on “Trail Updates.”
The most accurate and up-to-date source of road closure information is at https://newengland511.org/region/Vermont.
Source: 7.15.2023. Vermont Agency of Transportation. Barre, vtrans.vermont.gov
