South Burlington Receives Grant Funding for Two Bicycle & Pedestrian Projects
The City has been awarded grant funding to supplement existing Penny for Paths funds for the design and engineering of two projects that will improve and expand upon the City’s bicycle and pedestrian network.
- The 2021 VTrans Small-Scale Bicycle & Pedestrian Program has awarded the City $75,000 in state funds to install a safe pedestrian crossing across Kennedy Drive at the Twin Oaks Terrace intersection. This project would eliminate the eastbound right turn deceleration lane onto Twin Oaks Terrace, while also installing an offset Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon-protected crosswalk. It will connect a large mixed-use developed area to the City’s high school, middle school, rec path and a GMT bus stop. The project was identified and detailed in a scoping study that was completed in 2019. It has also been on the City’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee’s priority project list, and the City Council has approved this project as listed on the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the last three cycles. The project will require the City to pay 50% of the construction costs, which have already been designated in the CIP through the Penny for Paths fund. This project is slated to begin this spring, with construction expected by the end of 2021.
- The second grant awarded to the City was via the VTrans Transportation Alternatives Program for Spear Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements. The award is for $300,000 in federal funds, and requires a $75,000 match by the City which will be covered by Penny for Paths and impact fee funds. The project contains elements included in the City’s Phase 1: Spear Street Bike/Ped Improvement project. It will involve the design and construction of an almost ¾ mile-long off-road shared use path along the west side of Spear Street, between Swift Street and the UVM Forestry Building. This will provide a safer route for users along an otherwise narrow and fast-moving street with minimal shoulders. In addition to this path, the project will look to incorporate the results of an ongoing scoping study that is evaluating the Swift/Spear intersection. The goal is to create a smoother transition for users to connect to either on-road bike lanes going south on Spear Street or the existing shared use path running west to east on Swift Street. The project will also look at adding crosswalks so that adjacent neighborhoods can connect with this facility. This project will also kick off this spring, with construction slated for 2025.
