Report: Champlain Parkway won’t have adverse impact on minorities

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A long-planned Burlington highway project will not negatively impact minorities living in one neighborhood along the route. That’s the finding of a new federal report released late last week.

The Champlain Parkway is meant to help make travel to downtown Burlington easier and lessen the traffic burden in residential neighborhoods in the city’s South End.

But critics contend the project will dump more cars into the Maple and King streets neighborhood, which is home to a higher percentage of low-income, Black and immigrant residents.

Two years ago, transportation planners agreed to pull back their certification of the roadway to assess those concerns.

In a 685-page report released last Friday, federal officials conclude that any adverse impacts from increased traffic in the neighborhood will be offset by upgrades that will lead to smoother traffic flow.

The 2.8-mile road through Burlington’s South End, previously known as the Southern Connector, has been in the works since the 1960s.