ESSEX JUNCTION — Essex Junction plans to build a new road to divert traffic around the infamous Five Corners intersection and open more land to further development.
The new “Crescent Connector” will connect Route 2A with Maple Street, and create a new intersection with Railroad Street.
All but one property owners have given their approval to the village to take parts of their land.
Bill Kalanges is the only holdout. On Oct. 30, the village offered Kalanges $109,685 for 0.15 acres of permanent easement and 0.06 acres of temporary easement at his Maple Street property, which he leases to Bailey Spring & Chassis, a truck repair shop.
Kalanges rejected the offer, which prompted the special meeting Tuesday night.
Richard Hamlin, the village’s engineer and project manager, presented plans drafted by DuBois & King to the Essex Junction board of trustees Tuesday. He said the alternative approved would be the best option for decreasing traffic congestion, increasing public safety and allowing for a larger area of the village to be redeveloped in the future.
An August 2011 scoping report for the proposed road confirmed its necessity.
The report said in part that the new road would alleviate “traffic congestion that exist within the Village at the Five Corners intersection, which result in extensive vehicle delays, traffic volumes exceeding capacities of the adjacent roadways, disruptions to adjoining businesses, and a high vehicle crash rate.”
The new road would also provide a safer alternative to train-vehicle conflicts, Hamlin explained. Driving from Route 2A to Main or Maple streets, requires crossing of two railroad tracks, one on Route 2A and another on Maple or Main.
The Crescent Connector would bypass both crossings on Route 2A and Maple, with only one crossing on the new road itself.
Speaking after the meeting, Unified manager Evan Teich said the project started to pick up speed when the Circumferential Highway project was abandoned. Developers had put a call out to communities to find ways to alleviate traffic in their areas, Teich said.
“This project was ranked number one,” he added.
Traffic studies Hamlin mentioned in his presentation showed that by 2025, if the road was not built, delay times would be exacerbated by increased vehicles and train crossings. Hamlin said the new road would reduce average delays by 30 seconds.
A small part on the northwest corner of Kalanges’ property is needed for the road. Kalanges and his attorney, Eliza van Lennep with Burlington-based Langrock, Sperry & Wool, addressed the board with his concerns about the placement of the road and the value he was offered.
“We contest the necessity of this project,” van Lennep said. “The marginal improvement to the traffic and the overall traffic flow of the village is out of scope with the impact to Mr. Kalanges and his property ownership.”
Answering questions from Van Lennep, Kalanges said the road could be built without any impact to his property.
Trustees President Andrew Brown asked Kalanges what engineering experience he has to suggest there is an alternative not considered by the village.
Van Lennep clarified that Kalanges was not testifying as a road expert, it is only his opinion the road could be built off his property.
Michael Keller from Keller & Associates appraised the value per acre of the property at $664,000. At that rate, the value of 0.15 acres needed for permanent easement is $99,600. Essex village offered Kalanges $109,685
Kalanges said this value does not take into account an expected loss of tenants. He said the design of the road will make it very difficult to maneuver large trucks into Bailey Spring & Chassis and they may leave the space.
David Skopin was the only resident at the meeting to speak about the project. He called the Crescent Connector road a “incredibly elegant solution to a problem that should have been solved years ago.”
The village is planning to name the road Railroad Street, continuing from the existing Railroad Street on the north side of Maple Street. The road work is being funded through federal and state appropriations, with no local match, Hamlin said.
The board is expected to announce its decision shortly after Christmas.
