VTrans policy planning bureau says it incubates ideas, manages mapping and Act 145 impact fees

Amy Bell, bureau director for Policy Planning and Research at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, told the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 22 that her bureau serves as the agency’s “incubator of ideas,” leading long‑range planning, federal policy monitoring, research and a statewide mapping program that supports town highway aid and permits review.

Bell described five core sections in her bureau: research, policy and planning (federal and state level), transportation planning management (the long‑standing cooperative with the state’s 11 regional planning commissions), development review and permitting services (including Section 1111 highway access permits and Act 250 review), and a mapping section that produces mileage certifications and base transportation datasets.

She noted the bureau’s role in discretionary grant applications under recent federal funding programs (including IIJA) and said the office staffs cross‑border initiatives and modal plans required by federal partners. Bell said VTrans maintains a 34‑year cooperative relationship with regional planning commissions and that Chittenden County’s MPO remains the state’s only metropolitan planning organization with a direct set‑aside of federal funds administered in coordination with VTrans.

On permitting and development, Bell summarized the Act 145 program, which authorizes the agency to establish transportation impact fees for projects that receive Act 250 permits. She said the program, in place for about 11 years, was designed to reduce the “last‑developer pays” problem by collecting incremental contributions over time for corridor improvements. Bell told the committee VTrans plans an evaluation of Act 145’s effectiveness; she said the development community has given largely positive feedback and values predictability.

Bell described the mapping section as critical to town highway aid because mileage certifications and road reclassifications feed the municipal aid formula. The bureau performs nationwide federal reporting tasks and supports municipalities with technical assistance, culvert inventories and capital budgeting exercises via the regional planning commissions.

Bell also detailed the research section’s work—covering topics from materials innovations to transportation behavior studies—and said the bureau hosts an annual research symposium with academic and institutional partners, including work with the University of Vermont. She said the bureau monitors federal reauthorization and staffing is focused on discretionary grant opportunities and on coordinating internal agency stakeholders for implementation.

Committee members asked for clarification about administration of regional planning funds, cooperation with the University of Vermont’s Transportation Research Center, and bureau location. Bell said the bureau is primarily based in Montpelier at Barre City Place; the mapping section works on a different floor because of shared equipment needs. She said the MPO is a direct federal recipient that contracts with VTrans as the managing administrative entity.

Ending

Bell said the bureau will continue monitoring federal policy and discretionary grant cycles, support regional planning partners, and report back on Act 145’s evaluation and the ongoing statewide planning efforts.