Vermont AOT outlines Central Garage relocation to Berlin parcel after repeated flooding

Vermont Agency of Transportation Director of Fleet Todd Law updated the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 5 on plans to move the agency's Central Garage out of the flood-prone Route 302 complex to two parcels the state recently purchased near Exit 7 in Berlin, adjacent to the Vermont State Police barracks.

Law said the parcels are higher than the Stevens Branch floodplain that has inundated the current Central Garage multiple times and added, "we have purchased a parcel. It actually sits right next to the Vermont State Police Barracks in Berlin. Up the hill, away from, the Stevens branch where we flooded, multiple times over the past few years." He described one nearby stream but said the new site has not flooded in recent years.

The relocation is intended to consolidate fleet maintenance, parts storage and management functions into a single, larger facility. Law said the plan would consolidate parts storage now scattered across multiple buildings and sites and house fleet-management staff, supervisors and offices currently displaced following floods at the 302 Complex. "We would be consolidating all that to 1 building right here," he said.

Why it matters: the move is framed as both a resilience project and an opportunity to return the existing Route 302 site to floodplain. Law told the committee the long-term goal is a facility designed for a 75-to-100-year lifespan that would allow future work on electric vehicles in segregated spaces and give the agency room for regional operations.

Site details and constraints described to the committee included two parcels acquired by the state, developable land near Exit 7, and wetland areas that limit building footprints. "There are some wetlands that kind of restrict this area. So we're trying to work within that, working with our partners at the department of environmental conservation to ensure we can build what we need to for the future of fleet maintenance for the agency of transportation," Law said. He identified a need for a state wetland permit and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit to expand the permitted footprint and to pave larger areas for vehicle staging and parking.

Law said the chosen site sits beside the State Police barracks and the Berlin Fire Department and includes an upper parcel with fewer wetland impacts that previously held three buildings. He described one back portion of the property, previously a farm field, as the primary area for the new garage and noted a separate front parcel that could house other state uses.

Timeline and funding: Law called permitting time-consuming and said he hoped construction could begin "by next year" if permits and other approvals fall into place, and that the agency expects to occupy the first stage of the new facility within a couple of years. For funding, he said AOT is working with Guidehouse, the state's consultant, to support a FEMA Alternatives Program (Public Assistance alternative projects under FEMA program 428) request instead of restoring the damaged 302 Complex in place. "We are working with Guidehouse who is the state's consultant who's working with us on the FEMA declaration...so hopefully a lot of that's covered through that funding source called 428 through FEMA," Law told the committee.

Law described operational tradeoffs and next steps: the agency plans to remove most storage and staging at the 302 Complex and restore the floodplain there, which may include tearing down a newer raised building and reusing or selling its materials. He said some functions temporarily relocated to other buildings (the "Dill Building") would remain displaced until the new facility is complete, and that the training center and District 6 operations would not be accommodated in the first phase.

Committee members asked about scale, parking and future expansion. Law said the planned garage is larger than a typical district garage ("it's about twice as much") and would consolidate statewide parts and specifications staff; he noted limited expansion room without substantial additional permitting. He also said the first phase will include conduit for future electric-vehicle charging and that the design aims to blend with the landscape rather than present large loading docks.

No formal vote or committee action was recorded. Law described ongoing tasks: detailed permitting with DEC and the U.S. Army Corps, coordination with Guidehouse and FEMA on alternative-project funding, and design work to finalize bay counts and parts-storage capacity. He said the agency is preparing preliminary budget and permit materials for the upcoming capital process.

Ending: Law told the committee he would return with updates as permitting and funding progress. "We would like to hope by next year we're starting construction," he said, adding that the agency hopes to both improve fleet operations and return the Route 302 parcel to a more natural floodplain once the relocation is complete.