South Burlington signed a $20 million contract this month to build a long-awaited bridge for pedestrians and cyclists over Interstate 89 that could allow hundreds of commuters between Vermont’s two largest cities to avoid crossing dangerous highway intersections.
The bridge, which is now set to be completed in October 2028, would provide a key link for walking or biking between the University of Vermont, the state’s largest employer, with housing and shopping centers in South Burlington, including the state’s biggest indoor shopping mall. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
“This is going to be a major upgrade in terms of making this accessible to more people,” said Jack Evans, a street project specialist for Local Motion, an organization that advocates for bike-friendly infrastructure.
Signing a building contract represents a major step toward completing the long-awaited project, which has been in the design and contract bidding process for years, according to Ilona Blanchard, the city’s community development director.
The city originally expected the project would cost $14.5 million, with construction beginning in 2024 and wrapping up in 2026. But as the city was designing the project, construction costs around the country continued to rise, driving up estimated project costs. When the city put a contract up for bid in 2025, Blanchard said, it only received bids that were even greater than those higher estimates. The lowest bid the city received was 37% above the estimated cost, she said.
Those higher costs forced the city to tweak its plans, delaying construction.
Data collected by South Burlington showed that on an average weekday 275 people walk or bike over I-89 on the sidewalk, while on a weekend day that number can be higher than 400, according to Blanchard.
Currently, those who make the trek over the interstate by bike or on foot have to travel along Williston Road and cross multiple highway ramps.
“It creates a very stressful environment,” Evans said.
South Burlington City Council greenlit the city’s $20 million contract with Engineers Construction Inc., a Williston-based contracting company, during an April 20 meeting. The project still has a $2.5 million gap in funding, which the city is seeking grants to fill, according to Blanchard.
Under the new contract, the city is set to build a pedestrian bridge that connects the sidewalk in front of the Staples store on the west side of the highway to the sidewalk in front of CVS Pharmacy to the east. The city intends to create additional bike ramps on both ends of the bridge in a later stage of the project, Blanchard said.
Engineers usually base their price estimates on similar infrastructure projects close by. But for Vermont, a project like the one thought up in South Burlington is “pretty unusual,” meaning the city’s comparisons were off, Blanchard said.
When the city received only higher-than-expected offers on the project, it had to rethink the project, which set the timeline back, according to Blanchard. After re-evaluating the contract, the city decided to break up the development into two phases to make it more affordable, she said.
Now that plans for construction are in motion, the bridge will be “a game changer,” said Bryan Davis, a transportation planner for the Chittenden Regional Planning Commission. Davis has worked with the city for years planning the project.
“Exit 14 is one of the most challenging and most trafficked intersections and interchanges in the state. And for people walking and biking it feels unsafe. It’s loud, it’s noisy, scary,” Davis said.
He thinks the project is transformative for not only the two cities it connects, but also for the region as a whole. It will contribute to a larger network of paths that make Burlington and its surrounding cities safer and more friendly for people who walk or bike, Davis said.
Evans said he hopes that following the bridge’s construction, the city will consider developing safer bike paths on either side of the bridge, both through Burlington and South Burlington.
For now, South Burlington is still applying for grants to fully fund the bridge project.
Though the city’s recently-penned contract is for about $20 million, the total costs of the project will be higher after adding the cost of inspectors and contingency fees.
The city is paying for the bulk of the project costs through two federal transportation grants. It received one grant for $9.76 million in 2021 and a second worth about $8 million in 2024, according to Blanchard. The city is also paying for some costs through tax increment financing.
