Committee hears several large project cost increases and schedule notes, including Killington and I‑91 ledge stabilization

Lawmakers pressed agency presenters for specifics about several large projects where estimates changed or the scope requires substantial work. Rogacic said the Killington Stockbridge project met the agency’s 10G3 threshold (an increase of $10 million or 100% relative to preliminary estimates) because preliminary cost estimates dated from 2014, the scope expanded to add drainage and box‑culvert work, and inflation raised the current estimate; he added the agency is reviewing treatment options and expects a possible cost reduction but had no firm revised number on the record.

The committee heard a detailed description of the Fairlee ledge‑stabilization work along Interstate 91. Rogacic described the scale of the slope stabilization, showed construction imagery with vehicles for scale and estimated construction at roughly $15.2 million; he said crews used rope access to pin mesh to rock faces and that the contractor used a helicopter to bring mesh to the work area because of site access constraints.

Members discussed the Pittsburgh (US 7) segment‑4 reconstruction, noting construction funds listed in FY26 and expectations that crews could begin work before the end of the year and continue in subsequent years. Rogacic described segments and staging and said the project has progressed over many years to reach the current construction stage.

Rogacic summarized several other expanded projects on 10G lists: emergency permanent repairs (ERP) for storm events, culvert projects that shifted from smaller plastic pipes to larger concrete box culverts after hydraulic analysis, and traffic‑heavy jobs (for example, the Williston project and Bennington roundabout/signal projects) where low bids and construction impacts drove appearance on expanded lists.

For several projects the agency noted design refinements or updated low bids that increased the final construction price relative to older preliminary estimates; the agency repeated that older preliminary plan estimates—some dating to 2014—were a common factor in larger reported increases. Lawmakers asked for follow‑up on schedule and procurement timing for projects where construction funding appears in FY26 or FY27.

The presentation also touched on traffic‑safety projects with increased cost due to a preferred alternative (for example, a roundabout in St. Albans) and the diverging‑diamond interchange at Exit 16 and Milton Hourglass intersection reconfiguration as examples of complex traffic projects now advancing into construction or preconstruction phases.