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VTrans, consultants outline $3M signal project for East Allen–East Spring; city may fund sidewalk
Summary
Vermont Agency of Transportation and consultants presented a federally funded plan to add traffic signals and pedestrian/bike improvements at the East Allen Street–East Spring Street intersection; city would consider a $300,000–$500,000 south‑side sidewalk extension as a locally funded add‑on during the next budget cycle.
Winooski City Council heard a project overview June 2 for signalizing the East Allen Street–East Spring Street intersection and for closing a sidewalk gap on East Spring Street between Russell Street and East Allen Street.
The project team said the intersection—on Vermont 15 at Hood Street and the New England Central Railroad crossing—was identified in prior corridor studies and in detour planning for the Burlington–Winooski Bridge. Steve Spear, consultant project manager at HNTB, said the concept includes traffic signals tied to an active rail‑warning system, concrete rail panels at the roadway, protected left‑turns, new crosswalks and bike‑lane work. “We’re looking at a conceptual cost range of 3,000,000 to 3 and a half million” for the intersection, Spear said. He added that the signal work is currently planned to be 100% federally funded, while a separate sidewalk extension would be city funded.
Why it matters: the intersection is currently unsignalized and carries about 18,000 average annual daily trips on East Allen and 5,500 on East Spring in the project area; residents and councilors said existing conditions make pedestrian crossing difficult and create unsafe turning and merge movements.
The conceptual design would add a pedestrian‑activated crossing on East Allen, protected left phases, curb bump‑outs to shorten crossing distances, and combined rail/traffic signal poles for visibility. Spear said the grading, underground utilities and the railroad crossing geometry required extra coordination: the railroad has review authority for work within the crossing and the team completed borings and utility test pits to locate subsurface conflicts.
Public comment and local preference: multiple residents who spoke in favor of the improvements urged the city to include a continuous sidewalk. Sean Blatting, a Russell Street resident who travels the intersection daily, told council the signal and sidewalks were “long overdue.” The municipal Infrastructure Commission voted unanimously to recommend placing the sidewalk on the south side of East Spring, a choice the design team said staff preferred as well.
Costs, funding and schedule: the project team estimated the signal and intersection work at $3.0–$3.5 million and said that the signal work is expected to be fully federally funded; the city‑funded sidewalk extension was estimated conceptually at $300,000–$500,000. The team said preliminary plans are expected in late 2025, final plans and contract documents through 2026, advertisement in late 2026 and construction in 2027. The contractor schedule is driven in part by the Burlington–Winooski Bridge project: the team said the signal work should be completed before any lane reductions on the bridge.
Discussion vs. decisions: the presentation was informational; council did not approve funding for the sidewalk or finalize designs at the meeting. Councilors and residents discussed funding for the sidewalk during the upcoming budget cycle. The Infrastructure Commission’s south‑side recommendation was cited by staff when presenting the sidewalk options.
Next steps: the project team will advance preliminary design, finalize traffic analysis (including Hood Street tie‑ins), continue railroad coordination, and return with refined plans and costs for further council review and budget deliberations.
Residents who asked questions were told striping and crosswalk repainting along the gateway corridor are planned this season and that Hood Street tie‑in alternatives will be advanced to the Infrastructure Commission for additional public review.
