Winooski residents will decide whether to approve a $4.6 million bond on Town Meeting Day to pay for the city’s share of the cost to reconstruct the 96-year-old bridge that connects Winooski and Burlington.
Estimated to cost $60 million to $80 million, the project to tear down and replace the bridge would largely be paid for with federal funding, including a $24.8 million grant, with state and municipal contributions making up the difference.
A major connector carrying Routes 2 and 7 over the Winooski River, the bridge is jointly owned by Winooski and Burlington. Built in 1928, it is reaching the end of its service life, local officials have said. Discussions and studies started in 2017 and various local and regional stakeholder groups reviewed options for replacement or rehabilitation.
The state Agency of Transportation eventually recommended replacing the bridge and providing improved pedestrian and bicycle access. The Winooski and Burlington city councils approved the preferred design layout in 2018.
While the project is in its infancy, construction is expected to start in early 2027. In order to make use of the federal funding, the bridge work must be completed by 2031, according to Jon Rauscher, the director of public works in Winooski.
“We’re in a preliminary design phase right now,” he said. “There are some pretty strict deadlines on grants, so that’s what’s pushing us to go out to bond and actually develop this project.”
If the bond is approved, Rauscher said, the tax rate would not rise until 2028, when it could increase 2.5 to 4% depending on several factors such as the actual construction cost, any additional funding and grand list growth in Winooski.
Burlington will not hold a bond vote for its share of the project this year but has incorporated its contribution into its long-range capital forecast. An initial $75,000 was budgeted in fiscal year 2024 and additional funds are being projected across future fiscal years, according to Chapin Spencer, director of the Department of Public Works in Burlington. Voter approval would be required if the city were to need to use bond financing in the future, he added.
The only crossing over the Winooski River that connects the downtown areas of two of Vermont’s most densely populated cities, the bridge is the busiest stretch of road in Winooski, Rauscher said. It currently serves an estimated 25,000 vehicles and 300 cyclists/pedestrians per day, according to information on the project website maintained by the state.
Public hearings held last September and in January in each of the cities outlined the broad scope and design concept for the project which includes shoulder, sidewalk, bike-pedestrian, and intersection improvements to increase safety.
The project also includes improvements at the intersection of Riverside Avenue, Colchester Avenue, Barrett Street and Mill Street on the Burlington side, though that work is fully covered by federal funding. The bridge reconstruction is funded 80% by federal funds, with the remainder to be split between Burlington (5%), Winooski (5%) and the state (10%), according to state documents.
The bond money could also help Winooski assess two smaller bridges on Main and Weaver streets that are as old as the main bridge, Rauscher said. They span the New England Central Railroad and will likely require rehabilitation in the near future. “The current bond language would allow us to use any remaining funds to evaluate these two bridges,” he said.
The preliminary design phase and further public outreach will continue through 2026 with final design and construction phases scheduled from 2027 to 2029, according to the timeline presented at the January public meeting in Winooski.
Some preliminary work on the bridge begins this week to gather data on the intersection but will not involve any closures at this time, according to an alert posted on the state’s bridge project page.
The March 5 warrant in Winooski includes a second vote to authorize $515,000 from the city’s unspent $1.3 million capital improvement bond for the Hickok Street water line and reconstruction project.
The project, completed two years ago, came in under budget so the city is looking to use the remaining money to replace curbs and sidewalks that are in poor condition, Rauscher said.
The questions will be voted by Australian ballot on March 5 at the Winooski Senior Center, 123 Barlow St. between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.