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VTrans requests $2.5M in FY26 to build Springfield six‑bay garage on existing site
Summary
VTrans presented a $2.5 million FY26 request to build a six‑bay maintenance garage at its Springfield site, showing plans to consolidate crews, move bridge crew into the existing job garage and not trigger Act 250 review.
Jayna Morse, division director for finance and administration, presented the agency’s transportation buildings request and said the governor’s recommended FY26 budget includes $2.5 million for a new Springfield six‑bay garage on existing property.
Morse said VTrans reduced its separate statewide maintenance line for FY26 and asked districts and programs to absorb typical facility maintenance needs in their operational budgets. She described the Springfield project as a new six‑bay maintenance garage to be built on the department’s existing property; the bridge crew would move into the current job garage and the temporary job trailer would be removed.
The nut graf: the committee asked whether the project would trigger an Act 250 review, whether intersection or access improvements were planned to address traffic at the site entrance and whether salt and sand storage at the facility are covered. VTrans said the Springfield facility project “will not trigger” Act 250, has an on‑site salt shed and that intersection work is not part of the facility project though staff will check on planned nearby work.
Morse told the committee the FY26 governor’s recommendation for transportation buildings is $2,500,000 and that the FY25 capital bill included a one‑time $3.5 million appropriation for district work (not part of the transportation fund comparison). She said the statewide maintenance figure (listed on slides as $825,000) typically covers heating systems, generator replacements and similar work; the division absorbed major generator costs this past year and has allocated remaining maintenance into district budgets.
Several senators raised operational concerns about ingress/egress at the Springfield site, noting proximity to a gas station and hotel and warning of increased truck traffic if the garage capacity grows. Morse said the facility will be designed to better accommodate larger trucks and loaders and that staff would “inquire if there’s any planned work at this location in the next couple of years.”
Morse also reviewed the facilities team’s several‑year outlook and said projects are reprioritized annually based on asset condition, bids received and operational needs.
