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Transportation Studies > Route 15 History |
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The Route 15 Corridor
Originally created as part of the New England Interstate Routes in 1922, Vermont State Route 15 spans from US Route 7/2 in Winooski to US Route 2 in Danville (near St. Johnsbury in Caledonia County). Route 15's western Chittenden County corridor extends from the traffic circulator in Winooski to the Essex/Jericho town line.
Background & History of the Route 15 Corridor Study
The Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) in collaboration with the municipalities of Winooski, Colchester, Essex, and Essex Junction and the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA), the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), the University of Vermont (UVM), St. Michaels College, Fletcher Allen Health Care (FAHC), Camp Johnson and the Champlain Valley Exposition have been working together since (at least) the late 1990's with support from the offices of Senators Leahy and Jeffords to study and improve the Route 15 corridor. The City of Burlington has also been a partner in the process. These Stakeholders have worked together through a Route 15 Stakeholders Group and several committees. A joint resolution adopted by the involved municipalities has provided a "blueprint" for corridor development in this area.
The Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization, in collaboration with the stakeholders listed above, are sponsoring the Route 15 Corridor Study. The outcome of the Route 15 Corridor Study will be a system-wide approach that addresses all transportation needs in the corridor including pedestrian, bicycle, bus, light rail, and highway.
It will further address the broader roadway network affected by changes on Route 15. The overall purpose of the study is to identify existing and future corridor transportation system deficiencies and recommend a series of short- and long-term solutions.
The need for this project is based on the function of the Route 15 Corridor between Burlington and Essex (which serves as a critical east-west transportation connector in the region) and the resulting increase in development pressures and traffic volumes along the corridor. The municipalities and institutions along this corridor as well as regional and state partners would like to use this process to:
- Develop coordinated transportation and land use solutions;
- Improve capacity and enhance the scenic attributes of the corridor;
- Increase safety for all modes of travel throughout the corridor;
- Develop creative strategies for supporting sustainable economic development; and
- Ensure that transportation needs are addressed in a manner that preserves and enhances each community's unique character.
The impetus for the Route 15 work was the Burlington to Essex Commuter Rail Corridor Study funded by a congressional earmark. This study resulted in a multimodal approach to proposed improvements in the corridor, which were included in the CCMPO's 2025 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. As a result of the rail study, it became apparent that commuter rail is a long term goal. To achieve this goal, it would be necessary to improve public transportation within the corridor, as well as traffic flow, and tie it to economic development, land use, and quality of life. These conclusions led to the next phase for Route 15, which involved studying the potential for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the corridor.
Over the last several years a number of development programs and projects have been initiated - and some implemented - along this corridor: rail corridor development and acquisition; scoping for a section of the regional bike path along Route 15; signal optimization; a CCMPO TLC grant to Essex to study multi-use development along the Susie Wilson Corridor in concert with a CCMPO study of the area for TOD; a $900,000 TCSP grant and $1 million in STP funds for a "Campus Road Connector" connecting the campuses of St. Michael's College, Camp Johnson, and Fort Ethan Allen; an earmark for pedestrian improvements on Route 15 in front of the Fanny Allen campus of Fletcher Allen; a $20,000 TLC grant for a downtown streetscape plan for the Village of Essex Junction; a commitment from our Senators for an ITS earmark; and the Blue Bridge Scoping Study to connect the Bike path system across the Winooski River to connect Winooski and Burlington.
In the fall of 2004, the corridor communities were close to agreeing on a scope of work to further the analysis of the potential of Transit Oriented Design, when the dedicated earmark funding was re-directed to other state rail transportation priorities. The proposed study will continue that effort under the context of completing a comprehensive Route 15 Corridor Management Plan.
Further Information Burlington to Essex Commuter Rail Corridor Study
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Contact CCMPO:
30 Kimball Avenue, Suite 206 South Burlington, Vermont 05403-6825 tel: 802.660.4071 fax: 802.660.4079 Webmaster |