State staff outline design-build plan, timeline for Burlington–Winooski bridge and adjacent intersection

Carolyn, a project staff member, told the House Transportation Committee on May 28 that the Burlington–Winooski bridge project — and a related intersection improvement at Riverside/Colchester/Barrett/Mill streets — has a base technical concept approved by the cities of Burlington and Winooski and will move forward to a design‑build solicitation intended to protect a federal RAISE grant.

The project team is seeking to keep some bridge capacity open during construction to limit detours and emergency‑response delays, staff said. Carolyn said the bridge effort began in 2017, traffic counts in the corridor reach about 25,000 vehicles a day, and the team merged the bridge and intersection efforts in 2023 so both pieces would align with RAISE grant milestone requirements.

Why it matters: the project team said the federal RAISE award is time‑limited and the RFP/contracting schedule must meet milestones to preserve the grant. Staff told the committee they expect to issue a construction RFP by summer 2026 to satisfy a September 30, 2026 milestone tied to the grant; staff cited June 30, 2026 as an internal target to allow schedule slack. If the milestone is missed, staff said the grant money could be lost.

Key technical choices and traffic handling

Staff described two broad alignment concepts. An "on‑alignment" approach would keep the new bridge centered on the existing alignment and likely require a 4–6 week full closure for certain operations (the presentation noted different staging approaches such as building a bridge nearby and sliding it into place). An "off‑alignment" or shifted alignment would move the new structure slightly and allow contractors to keep one direction of vehicle traffic and pedestrian/cyclist access open longer during construction; that option could also permit a new multiuse path to be routed under the bridge and connect to Mill Street.

Carolyn said the project team analyzed detour routes and emergency‑vehicle travel times. In existing conditions the presentation cited roughly 4–7 minutes for ambulance trips between the medical center in Burlington and downtown Winooski; a full bridge closure was shown increasing that time to about 10–15 minutes, while some staged closures or shifted alignments produced smaller increases (presentation figures showed, for example, 6 minutes for some southbound scenarios and 7–12 minutes for some northbound scenarios). Carolyn said pedestrian and bicycle access would be maintained "for the most part" during construction and that short temporary closures of crossings might occur during hazardous operations.

Design, approvals and procurement

The base technical concept that will go into the RFP specifies an 81‑foot out‑to‑out bridge cross section with four travel lanes, a 15‑foot shared‑use path on the west side and a 12‑foot shared‑use path on the east side, shoulders, and barriers separating vehicular traffic from pedestrians and bicyclists. The plan calls for a minimum two‑span bridge with minimum hydraulic opening and historic‑style railings and lighting; the intersection work would be signalized.

Carolyn told lawmakers the cities of Burlington and Winooski have approved the base technical concept and the project team is completing environmental commitments and a NEPA document, starting right‑of‑way appraisals for required permanent and temporary easements, and preparing contractor solicitation materials. The team expects design‑build teams (a contractor paired with a designer) to propose refinements to the base concept in their proposals; some elements are prescriptive in the RFP and others are flexible for proposers to innovate.

Schedule, budget and funding

Staff said the bridge is estimated at about $70 million to $80 million. Carolyn stated there is federal grant funding for the project (the meeting transcript cites both a $25,000,000 figure and a $24,800,000 figure when staff discussed the RAISE award), and she warned the committee the RAISE grant requires meeting specific milestones. At the meeting Carolyn said the bridge project is "fully funded 80%" and described an additional funding split in which "the state pays 10% and each of the towns pays 5%"; she did not provide a formal written funding table in the presentation.

Committee questions and local concerns

Representative Fouts asked whether staff had contacted potential contractors; Carolyn said outreach had not yet formally begun but the project team expects national and regional firms capable of large bridge work to be interested and noted the project’s tight staging area will be a challenge. Representative Thomas asked whether the design‑build solicitation could allow proposers to choose on‑alignment or off‑alignment solutions; Carolyn said the RFP will present the base technical concept (an off‑alignment example was shown) but allow proposers to offer alternative approaches if they demonstrate how they would meet requirements and limit community impacts.

Representative Thomas asked whether a full shutdown of traffic would be permitted in a proposal. Carolyn said a full shutdown remained an option in extreme cases but emphasized the RFP and the team’s planning seek to maintain pedestrian access and minimize long vehicular detours; she said brief safety‑driven pedestrian stoppages (on the order of hours) could occur for hazardous operations.

Next steps and timeline

Carolyn said environmental commitments, NEPA documentation, and right‑of‑way appraisals are underway. Staff expect to advertise a design‑build RFP and create a short list of proposers, with construction possibly starting in fall 2027 and overall project completion required by mid‑2030 to meet grant restrictions.

The presentation included site schematics showing the proposed shared‑use paths and potential park reconfiguration on the Winooski side, and staff said the Champlain Mill area will be used for temporary construction staging with rights acquired as needed.

Ending

Committee members thanked staff for the presentation and asked to follow up offline on coordination with local officials and staging needs. Carolyn said the project team will continue outreach with Burlington, Winooski and Chittenden County stakeholders as the procurement and environmental processes proceed.