POPULATION (U.S. Census 2000)
- Chittenden County now has 24% of the population of the state, up from 23% in 1990
- Chittenden County added more people in the 1990's than any other Vermont county (total population of county - 146,571)
- Williston grew by 56%
- South Burlington's grew by 23%
- Westford grew by 20%
- Burlington's population declined slightly as did Winooski's
- Essex is now Vermont's second largest community, when the town of Essex and Essex Junction are combined
TRANSPORTATION (CCMPO - 2002)
- In a typical twenty-four hour day, almost 85% of trips are made by automobile.
- Walking accounts for 6% of trips
- Bicycles and county buses account for 1% each
- During peak morning and evening travel times, over 90% of trips are by car
- 6 million tons of freight flow in and out Chittenden County each year: 91% by truck, 5.7% by rail
- Traffic volume has increased 100% in the last 30 years
- Chittenden County has 9.8% of roadways in the state but 23% of the Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT)*
PROJECTIONS FOR 2025
- Population 45% increase
- Housing 61% increase
- Employment 53% increase
TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS FOR 2025
- Traffic volume is projected to increase another 360% by 2025
- Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT) will increase about 60% by 2025
- Roads over capacity will increase 500% by 2025 (from 6.3% to 30%)
- Average speed will drop from 33 mph to 26 mph by 2025 if nothing is done
- Vehicle Hours of Travel (VHT)** will increase almost 100% by 2025 if nothing is done
POPULATION & GROWTH PATTERNS IN NORTHWESTERN VERMONT:
- The fastest population growth is in communities bordering Chittenden County's northern fringes: Grand Isle, Lamoille, & Franklin
- Grand Isle County grew 30% since 1990
- Lamoille County grew by 17.7% since 1990
- Job expansion and a shortage of housing in Chittenden County helped drive population growth into surrounding counties
*VMT - one vehicle traveling one mile
**VMT - one vehicle traveling one hour
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