BURLINGTON — North Avenue is among the most dangerous stretches of road in Burlington, and Mayor Miro Weinberger says he wants to educate residents about a pilot redesign project that will help make the roadway safer.
The street, which runs through the New North End, is one of the most accident-prone roadways anywhere in the state, Weinberger said at a Tuesday news conference. Agency of Transportation figures show that 11 percent of traffic accidents in the city happen on North Avenue.
Weinberger touted the launch of the North Avenue Task Force website, AvenueForEveryone.com, which is aimed at educating residents about the upcoming changes to North Avenue.
The website describes a pilot project for part of the avenue that will convert four lanes of traffic into three lanes and a bike lane. Other portions of the roadway will be two lanes with a center turning lane or two lanes with protected bike lanes.
The city council unanimously voted for the plan in October 2014. Since then, the plan has drawn the ire of some New North End residents.
Rich Nadworny, the Ward 4 Neighborhood Planning Association representative to the North Avenue Task Force, said the task force launched the website to help residents understanding what’s coming. “Our goal was to help residents make more informed decisions as we describe how the pilot will make the Avenue safer and more accessible for kids and grandparents, for parents and working adults and hopefully increase the quality of life and economic development in the North of Burlington,” Nadworny said.
Weinberger said the North Avenue pilot project has been the most discussed topic over the past year at his weekly coffee hour at the Bagel Cafe.
“We’ve seen a lot of misinformation and misperceptions spread around the neighborhood about the North Avenue pilot,” Nadworny said. “What we’ve found, though, is that when we explain to people the reasons for doing the pilot and what it will entail, we find that an overwhelming majority of New North End residents, and Burlington residents in general, support the pilot.”
The website includes diagrams of all the upcoming changes and a timeline of when they will occur, Nadworny said.
Steve Crafts, owner of Place Creative and a New North End resident, said that the neighborhood offers people who work in Burlington an “exceptional place to live nearby.” As a business owner, Crafts said that the variety of housing options in the New North End is a draw when he’s looking for new employees.
“As I navigate North Avenue on a daily basis from work and to home, there’s a disconnect between weaving in hectic traffic up the avenue and the quiet, but vibrant neighborhoods directly beside it,” Crafts said.
