Vermont Business Magazine With inventories of potential rare, threatened or endangered plant species completed, the 'all clear' has been given by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and the entire northern section of the project is being prepped for a scheduled September 12 paving date! Please use caution when approaching the intersections with North Avenue Extension, Starr Farm Road and Staniford Road as there will be continuous hauling of gravel subbase through these sections in the next several weeks. In the southernmost section of the active construction zones, all grading has been completed and now fully vegetated side slopes and sturdy subbase gravel await the insertion of the asphalt bike lane and gravel shoulders that will complete the bike path!
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Slopes are greening up between Shore Rd. & Staniford Rd. awaiting asphalt paving and shoulder construction |
Saving the Trees (and Preventing the Spread the Invasives)!
Our Planning Division has teamed with our Trees & Greenways staff to inventory trees within the project limits that were originally intended to be removed to accommodate construction. With this effort we've been able to save many valuable trees, large and small, throughout the project. We are also staying ahead of the game and preventing our contractor from impacting populations of invasive species, knowing that many of them gain an advantage through construction disturbance. That way, our expert team can come back and focus on eradication of invasive exotic plants. we continue to advocate for ecology in the corridor, along with our resident engineers, who never stops thinking of ways to make the project better, more efficient or less expensive!
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Individual trees are marked to be saved and protected during construction |
Still Making the Most of the Detour
No one loves the bike path closure, but we continue to hear great stories of path users that like the detour. Why? They end up leisurely biking through the adjacent residential neighborhoods, and being able to conveniently stop at the plethora of commercial establishments in the North Avenue Corridor. Need a cold beverage, a sandwich or barbeque supplies, stop at Bessery's or the Short Stop. If spring rolls or pork dumplings are more your thing, take a break on the detour at Namaste Asian Deli. It's also a great opportunity to practice road biking skills for some, and we hope our helpful map & tips at the beginning and end of the detour route has helped provide useful info.
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Updated Project Schedule:
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Remember the Fences.. Please do not access the closed portions of the path. Even when there isn't active construction, the site remains closed for your safety. This includes the weekends too. Continue to follow the detour route. Remember to respect the neighborhoods that the detour passes through and use best safety practices. Bikers should ride single file and stay out of the middle of the road. Additional detour signage has been ordered and will be installed in coming weeks. Keep in mind that YES, you can still access the Winooski river bridge into Colchester.
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