Burlington to start several construction projects in the South End

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Drivers who travel through Burlington’s South End will likely see some big changes on some roads over the next several years. At least four major projects are in the works and some work is set to begin as soon as next month.

In just a few weeks, crews will begin work on the roundabout on Shelburne Road. The plan is to make it bigger and easier to navigate.

Officials tell WCAX News construction upgrades are also beginning next month on the long-awaited project to extend Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express from Rutland to Burlington, which will provide service to New York City.

Discussions also continue on another decadeslong project, the Champlain Parkway and the Railyard Enterprise project, which Burlington officials hope will alleviate traffic in parts of the South End into downtown. Racial justice advocates have argued that the parkway will disproportionately impact Black and brown neighborhoods but the railyard project could end up diverting traffic off of Pine Street directly to Battery Street rather than into the King and Bank streets neighborhoods. That work has officially been given the greenlight to start the engineering process.

“After we implement these four projects, the Burlington transportation system is going to be more resilient and more sustainable. The Champlain Parkway and Railyard Enterprise Project will really help multimodal travel through our South End. That means whether you are walking, biking, taking a bus, or driving, you will have a better experience than today,” said Chapin Spencer, the director of Burlington Public Works.

Construction on the much-debated Champlain Parkway could start in 2022, but it will still likely be several more years before construction can start.