[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6323976,"mediaKeyId","2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376","parentId",2340209,"title","St. Albans seeks control of a segment of VT‑36 to speed local safety and water‑sewer projects","audioSeconds",290,"startMs",66000,"endMs",356000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376&start=66&end=356","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376/thumbnail_66000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6323976/Vermont/St-Albans-seeks-control-of-a-segment-of-VT36-to-speed-local-safety-and-watersewer-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323976-7c1d57a36df94c826ace49a9d99738a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1775037063&Signature=IYwk3Ps5Fr0Onk0LILUlYuSzw8~MkyplWnO3jOmZPbaw1PLHgyNxF98BO7Q8P6yEIHHLhrkSznhfoW0a6BvuI580cvmz7RJLoQJ1~sBkfBLzipcs8q0TGnFB-4h8v8kitbtrs2uRdyRAhtoI41G1rBx8LvKCvEEgzbyWcM13PYeFDAJ3m5Bf6ybReqsfTXBK2zveQ6GSGBE1cUV3Y5e1tQVYmO0Ffn-bevpoECC8LcX9qEPnFo90Ph~rISqwVQFhhpf0erMBO8DLBhG4c-r4U~2UCdNj5EysUXfxXuhB3SmuvWJXOZoP5Z6ihA~XtzAyZI5nyRFS08gaxEjsujb-~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-19T08:17:33Z","article","St. Albans town leaders testified before the Vermont Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Feb. 18 asking the General Assembly to authorize the town to take over a 2.8‑mile segment of Vermont Route 36 so the municipality can move faster on two local priorities: a redesigned intersection near the bay and a water‑and‑sewer extension from the city.

The request would relinquish an identified Class 1 town highway segment from state control to the town, shifting day‑to‑day maintenance and many design decisions to St. Albans while retaining the segment’s legal status as a public highway under Title 19, committee materials show.

Why it matters: Town control would give St. Albans authority to set posted speeds, place crosswalks, install signals, alter travel‑lane widths and make other street‑design choices without waiting for state approval — a change local officials said could speed both a near‑term intersection fix and a longer water‑and‑sewer project they said is critical for shoreline development and water quality.

Sean Atkins, the town manager for St. Albans, told the committee, “We’re gonna keep it limited to just this stretch right now,” and described two projects he said the town wants to pursue: a relatively small intersection redesign near the park and a larger water‑and‑sewer extension from the city. Atkins said the intersection project “we can address probably this year if we were to be relinquished,” and called the sewer extension “a heavy, heavy lift” that the town is already planning with an engineering firm.

Ashley Atkins, deputy director of district maintenance and fleet division at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, reviewed the statutory process and the functional difference for Class 1 town highways: “Class I town highways are connected links to the state highway system,” she said, and the segment would retain its legal character while daily control shifts to the town. Agency staff also told the committee that VTrans typically assists with periodic reconstruction when a Class 1 segment needs it.

Representative Linda Gibson, who represents St. Albans, emphasized water‑quality and economic development goals tied to the relinquishment. “It would be important, very, very important, the safety of water and for the sake of a whole lot of other things to have that water and sewer situation,” Gibson said, linking the road control change to access for shoreline development and pollution reduction for Lake Champlain.

Committee members pressed town officials on costs and liabilities. Members asked whether bridges or culverts on the segment would become town responsibilities; Atkins said the road “is in pretty fine shape” and that the town believes it owns the bridge at the end of the stretch but that payment arrangements with the state were not fully clear. One committee member said the draft language places the transfer as an authorization to the Secretary of Transportation under the bill’s statutory provision.

Agency staff and several legislators noted tradeoffs. A member who had considered similar transfers said taking on roads can add long‑term costs such as street lights and plowing; others said local control can speed projects that otherwise might wait years in state prioritization cycles. Michelle Boomhower of the Agency of Transportation said the idea had been under discussion before the COVID‑era pause and that “it has resurfaced again this past year.” She confirmed VTrans would include the section in its periodic reconstruction cycle where appropriate.

The committee did not take a vote. Members asked the town to provide a selectboard letter or other municipal documentation of support and said the committee would keep the section open for further review as it examines the full draft of the bill.

The committee also heard several clarifying questions about exact limits and maintenance responsibilities and recorded concerns about long‑term costs for paving, culverts and potential bridge work should failures occur.

Looking ahead: Committee members asked for documentary proof of the selectboard’s position and indicated they would continue to review the proposed statutory language alongside other sections of the Transportation (T) bill.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation - 2025-02-18 - 2:15PM","oneSentenceSummary","St. Albans town leaders testified before the Vermont Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Feb. 18 asking the General Assembly to authorize the town to take over a 2.8‑mile segment of Vermont Route 36 so the municipality can move faster on an intersection safety fix and a planned water‑and‑sewer extension.","taxTitle","Transportation, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35155,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6323965,"Draft bill would clarify Transportation Board lacks jurisdiction over competitive bidding disputes",0,2982000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376&start=2982&end=2982","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376/thumbnail_2982000.jpg","/articles/6323965/Vermont/Draft-bill-would-clarify-Transportation-Board-lacks-jurisdiction-over-competitive-bidding-disputes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323965-982ead15704044321aae867e457ec66e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775037063&Signature=NJp3ShHgRRB~48X656wZtOBA35Fb7dArQSlYJpW8JtaHo-CUNCxeW-8qTyf5BypZ4aqVo6Gt9Q-pwVFWVuhbo9HjYAMkZRAF3j-axbpUfxT3kGSQ1Yuand15mdBhaIqkt0IPXQZozYibMYqFo1wFsLvdv84DK3eOQgk8dBjoQAY6mp4rdUHZIn1So-M1B5H2oNdwbu5riD8Uj0eF-Dxa~gfM939e~SQD40~OJDtISY7xmgj-z5Rk2wEmjtVL9ta5oYDOwwvb90MrP6vd0eOtT4oXQhr3PTk-OK07uGorEuGhA4Pa9LEb9JGBLB4c18TZUTfZyv-GeX~KbH1TMljtrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Transportation Committee reviewed draft language (sections 7 and 8) clarifying the Transportation Board’s (referred to in testimony as the “keyboard”/Transportation Board) jurisdiction and expressly exempting competitive bidding and procurement processes from the board’s authority.

Rachel Kovitra, executive secretary of the Transportation Board, and Pam Langer, the board’s chair, told the committee the language was negotiated with the Agency of Transportation and that the board “has no objection to clarifying that the bid, the competitive bidding process, be exempted from the jurisdiction of the Transportation Board.” Kovitra explained that the courts are typically better suited to handle time‑sensitive procurement disputes where a preliminary injunction or rapid resolution is needed.

Agency staff said the clarifying language merely reflects current practice and would not change the substance of the board’s quasi‑judicial functions. Committee members generally accepted the clarification; one member noted a past matter where the board briefly took jurisdiction over a competitive‑bidding issue but later dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction.

Stakeholders including contractors were mentioned as possible additional witnesses, and the committee indicated it might solicit their views, though no contractors testified at this hearing. The committee did not take a vote on the section and agreed to proceed to other parts of the T bill.

","Committee heard language to exempt competitive bids and procurement disputes from Transportation Board jurisdiction, with board representatives and agency staff saying the courts are better suited for urgent injunctions and time‑sensitive procurement matters",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6323969,"VTrans proposes reinstating pre‑IIJA payback rules for cancelled municipal grants",404,1487000,1891000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376&start=1487&end=1891","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340209-cfcd65218de921c8c1808babb43b6376/thumbnail_1487000.jpg","/articles/6323969/Vermont/VTrans-proposes-reinstating-preIIJA-payback-rules-for-cancelled-municipal-grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323969-ef6076b2bfb331735d1b7c8a5791d685/orig.mp4?Expires=1775037063&Signature=YMMfh2VVuNIRY-0bOLZt74zNO5xYTIW2ySR5NKDZUmQ2fuyeA1r3T9AYcVYymE7MlF8Ub69XRIW14B4VleD2esusPWkFD73PI7NeO9~lzq3HBTvXvd2Oz6-~kwRQRKxdY7rjTGj26o1ftiUPEsmLzXe8YoRChh4MU22Czwb4Yr6~YzoKn~QTy2UV0RH9j9FqMOlmQ~RUbjdxn2K6Yr2FAGhVQSzaG~Qsc9as-RnkoTPaO7csIuXTssLdxk9~KTNhFi7Setdm7cKlMnUxcvAruQCdCQ3q~T6FhcoffY0blnaJCvyIPz1yvsihhV3X5mHjwYd1LhOe13F6sjttObDJ1g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Agency of Transportation staff and the committee discussed draft T‑bill language (section 3) aimed at clarifying payback requirements when municipal projects funded with state and federal grants are cancelled.

Jeremy, chief engineer for the Agency of Transportation, told the committee the proposal removes references to Federal Highway exceptions introduced after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) so that repayment provisions in grant agreements align with the agency’s longstanding practice. “This basically just goes back to PIIJA conditions. This is not like a new effort. This just is what the status quo has been,” Jeremy said.

Committee members asked whether the proposed change would be retroactive and whether it would take effect while IIJA funds remain available. Jeremy responded that any change would not be retroactive and that the agency was proposing to apply the provision to grants executed after the bill’s passage. He said VTrans had seen an increase in cancelled projects and that the change sought to limit funds being encumbered by terminated projects and to recover state and federal shares for other uses.

On the scale of the problem, Jeremy told the committee the agency had seen “over 2 dozen projects canceled at various stages of development recently,” which drove the need to reconcile federal practice with state grant agreements. He said towns still have options for relief: “There’s still that opportunity for a town to receive that relief. Right? They can petition the secretary or the transportation board and state their case.”

Regional planners and stakeholders urged caution. Kennedy, director of community development at the Monosco Regional Commission, said many cancellations arise from extenuating circumstances and urged clear discretion for relief from payback when appropriate. “If there could be some extenuating circumstances where a town is relieved of having that payback provision, it could be helpful,” Kennedy said.

Multiple lawmakers asked for clearer effective dates in the draft language; staff said they would work with legislative counsel to specify whether the payback rule would apply to agreements executed after passage. Agency staff also proposed removing tight 30‑day deadlines for hearings and decisions on appeals to the Transportation Board, arguing the current language can be impractical for discovery and settlement.

No formal action was taken; the committee identified follow‑up tasks including drafting clearer effective‑date language, confirming appeal timelines and hearing procedures, and soliciting additional testimony from regional planning commissions.

","Agency of Transportation staff told the committee they want to remove Federal Highway language from grant repayment provisions so grants executed after passage would require payback if a municipal project is cancelled; the change is aimed at preventing funds from remaining encumbered and to recover state and federal money for other projects","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

St. Albans seeks control of a segment of VT‑36 to speed local safety and water‑sewer projects

Draft bill would clarify Transportation Board lacks jurisdiction over competitive bidding disputes

VTrans proposes reinstating pre‑IIJA payback rules for cancelled municipal grants