Work continues on the planning process for an alternative transportation path linking Warren Village to Moretown Village. Currently, a study team, led by Misha Golfman, Mad River Path executive director, is engaged with a committee of local stakeholders and elected and appointed officials as well as federal reps and state legislators on the scoping study for the 10-mile path.
Last spring the Mad River Path and Mad River Valley Planning District, one of the project partners, received an $84,000 grant for the scoping study which Golfman said is well underway. That funding included a 20% match from Warren, Waitsfield and Moretown.
Where possible, the path will use sections of the Mad River Path but also parts of the 100-foot Route 100 right of way. The path will be 10-feet-wide.
After the 2024/2025 scoping study, towns along the proposed route become eligible to apply for design and construction funding through VTrans’ Bicycle & Pedestrian Program and Transportation Alternatives Program. Early cost estimates for the 10-mile corridor are $18 million.
The scoping study team will present its draft concepts for the 10-mile path/corridor at a public meeting on November 13 at Yestermorrow in Waitsfield from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The meeting is envisioned as a participatory open house. Members of the public will meet the study team and the advisory committee, learn about the project, ask questions, and provide feedback. Community feedback will guide the development of the active transportation corridor in the next several months, according to Golfman.
Members of the corridor/path study committee include the path association and planning district, the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, VTrans and engineers from VHB, Burlington.
Individual committee members include Michael Duell, Fayston Planning Commission; Joshua Schwartz, Mad River Valley Planning District; Devin Klein Corrigan, Warren Select Board; Felicia Fowler, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports; Bob Kogut, Mad River Riders; Mac Rood, Mad River Path; Kristine Kinney, Federal Transportation Administration, Waitsfield; Jonathan Ursprung, Waitsfield Planning Commission; Hadley Gaylord, Gaylord Farm, Waitsfield; Jared Cadwell, Fayston; Don Wexler, Moretown Select Board; Dara Torre, State Representative, Moretown; Doug Wilson/Eric Baruzzi, Mad River Ridge Runners; and Ira Shadis, Friends of the Mad River.
In March, the team will present the possible routes (called the alternatives) to the public, and by June, will be ready to present the preferred route. The corridor study will be completed in July and will open the door for the partners to apply for the design and construction funding through the VTrans Transportation Alternatives and Bicycle & Pedestrian programs, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“Community support is essential for the success of the study and our active transportation future; we hope you will join us on November 13. The active Transportation corridor meeting will be followed by a transportation electrification presentation by David Roberts from the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC),” Golfman noted.
Active transportation and micro-mobility, Golfman explained include all forms of travel without using motor vehicles, such as walking, biking, strolling, rolling, wheelchairs, and e-bikes.
“Active Transportation decreases our reliance on cars, reduces carbon emissions, decongests the roads, and gives opportunities to those who can’t afford, are unable to, or choose not to use cars to reach the services and participate in the community. Active transportation allows us to reach our destination while being physically active and traveling at the speed of a bicycle helps us to notice the needs of others,” he said.
Golfman has said that work on the corridor may need to be phased and completed in segments. The potential corridor has been divided into four segments:
- Warren Village – Yestermorrow Design/Build School.
- Yestermorrow –Waitsfield Village.
- Waitsfield Village – Moretown Village.
- Moretown Village – Cross Vermont Trail (at Hooper Lane on VT 100-B, south of RT 2 junction).
Finally, on November 14, the Mad River Path will be holding another active transportation event with a presentation of the conceptual plans for the Sugarbush Access Road Path. This presentation is at 6 p.m. at the Warren Town Hall.
