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Residents press for safer design alternatives as South Burlington breaks ground
Summary
Several residents and users pressed city staff at the groundbreaking for Exit 14 to explain why lower‑cost fixes and alternative alignments were not fully evaluated, and urged modern pedestrian standards instead of defaulting to highway right‑of‑way alignments.
At the ceremony a resident criticized the project's design process and urged more attention to proven pedestrian improvements rather than taking the 'easy way' of aligning the bridge in the highway right‑of‑way. The speaker said earlier alternatives — including north/south crossing alignments, sidewalk relocations and other fixes — were not fully evaluated and described some design options pursued in the process as “gimmicky.”
Alana Blanchard, the city’s community development director and the project manager for design, responded that the gondola alternative lacked community support and said the design process prioritized options that would be used and loved by people. Brian Davis of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and multiple residents talked about the site’s treacherous conditions and said a dedicated bike‑ped path is a needed safety improvement.
