Governor—Y26 transportation proposal adds small increase to town aid and advances several Addison County projects

A regional planning staff member told the Addison County Regional Planning Commission on April 16 that the governor—Y26 transportation proposal includes a 3% increase to Town Highway Aid and funding for a mix of engineering and construction projects across Addison County.

"First takeaway is that for Town Highway Aid, the governor proposed a 3% increase over FY25," the staff member said, calling the change a modest, cost-of-living-type increase. The presenter emphasized that several county projects appear in the proposed budget at different stages: some have construction dollars, some have only engineering money, and some are listed with no funding this year.

Why it matters: the governor—udget shapes which local paving, bridge and drainage projects can begin construction this year and which remain in scoping or engineering. For towns that rely on state grants or VTrans-managed programs, the presence or absence of FY26 funds affects timelines for repairs and safety improvements.

The presenter identified several notable items in the proposal affecting Addison County. Addison (Vermont Route 17) appears with roughly $545,000 listed for…