FAQs

The Champlain Parkway Project provides improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities along the entire corridor.

As part of the initial contract, a new shared-use path has been constructed which runs north-south, connecting the existing path at Home Avenue to Kilburn Street. The new path runs along the east side of the new Parkway alignment to Lakeside Avenue, and continues along the north side of Lakeside Avenue to Pine Street and extends along the west side of Pine Street to Kilburn Avenue. Shared lane pavement markings were included along the Champlain Parkway, Lakeside Avenue, and Pine Street throughout the project limits of the initial contract. As part of the final contract, bike lanes will be installed along Pine Street between Kilburn Street and Maple Street, and shared lane pavement markings will be included along Pine Street from Maple Street to Main Street.

In addition, a new shared-use path was constructed between U.S. Route 7 (Shelburne Street) near the I-189 off-ramp and Pine Street near South Crest Drive as part of the initial contract.

New continuous and ADA-compliant sidewalks were installed along Pine Street between Lakeside Avenue and Kilburn Street with a connection to the Parkway alignment along the south side of Lakeside Avenue. Several unsignalized intersections along Pine Street at Howard Street, Marble Avenue, and Kilburn Street now feature raised crosswalks which serve to reduce traffic speeds by providing a visually contrasting pavement surface and improving the visibility of pedestrians. As part of the final contract, new continuous and ADA-compliant sidewalks will be installed along the remaining portion of Pine Street between Kilburn Street and Main Street.

Traffic signals were installed at the new intersections of the Champlain Parkway at Home Avenue, Flynn Avenue, Sears Lane and Lakeside Avenue and upgraded at the intersection of Pine Street and Lakeside Avenue.

As part of the final contract, traffic signals were installed at the intersections of Pine Street at Maple Street and King Street and upgraded at the intersection of Pine Street at Main Street. The all new traffic signals include an exclusive pedestrian phase with WALK signals, giving pedestrians a safe time to cross when vehicular traffic is stopped. Additional mid-block crossings with user-activated rectangular rapid flashing beacons were installed along Pine Street between Howard and Marble Streets.

The Champlain Parkway Project was completed in two phases under two separate construction contracts which will be executed sequentially.

The initial contract included the construction of the Champlain Parkway from Home Avenue to Lakeside Avenue and upgrades to Lakeside Avenue and the section of Pine Street between Lakeside Avenue and Kilburn Street. The initial contract began in June 2022 and achieved conditional acceptance in December 2024.

The final contract included the construction of the Champlain Parkway from Interstate 189 to Home Avenue and upgrades to Pine Street between Kilburn and Main Streets. Construction began in December 2024 and substantial completion was achieved on July 15, 2026. The Champlain Parkway connection to I-189 opened on June 29, 2026.

The initial construction contract for phase one of the Champlain Parkway Project was awarded to the joint venture between S.D. Ireland Brothers and Kubricky Construction Corporation (SDK). The final construction contract for phase two of the Champlain Parkway Project was awarded to Engineers Construction, Inc. (ECI).

The Champlain Parkway connections to I-189 opened on Monday, June 29, 2026, one day ahead of the contractual completion date of June 30, 2026. 

The outbound connection of the Champlain Parkway southbound to I-189 East opened around noon on June 29. The inbound connection of I-189 West to the Champlain Parkway northbound opened during the evening on June 29.

There are several locations along the Parkway alignment that maintain east/west connectivity for all users to destinations such as Lake Champlain, Red Rocks, and Oakledge Park. There are signalized intersections along the Parkway alignment at Home Avenue, Flynn Avenue, Sears Lane, and Lakeside Avenue that provide all users access to and from the west side of the Parkway alignment. These intersections include crosswalks and a push-activated exclusive pedestrian phase to allow pedestrians a safe time to cross when vehicular traffic is stopped.

In the City Memorandum from August 9, 2021, on page 3, in the second paragraph it states; “During the interim period prior to the interstate connection, our Parkway consulting engineers project no substantive change in overall South End traffic even with the first Champlain Parkway phase constructed and opened for public use.”   

The August 9, 2021, City Memorandum can be viewed HERE.

The intersections, prior to the Champlain Parkway project, were inefficiently controlled by four-way stop signs meaning all vehicles approaching these intersections must stop. Traffic signals were installed at the unsignalized intersections of Pine Street at Maple Street and Pine Street at King Street during the Final Contract. Signalizing these intersections increases the capacity, therefore, reducing delay and alleviating congestion at these locations. With these upgrades in place, these intersections will operate more efficiently, and the level of service will improve in accordance with the VTrans’ Level of Service Policy.

Post opening the City is observing and monitoring traffic flow and operations along the entire Champlain Parkway corridor including the Maple and King neighborhood intersections. The City, working with the project designer, will evaluate the field conditions and assess if any adjustments to timing and phasing are required. This will consist of data collection along with public feedback on roadway performance. 

The Champlain Parkway Project is designed to shift most north–south traffic away from the Maple–King neighborhood side streets and onto Pine Street, Main Street, and Battery Street. To support this change, the new traffic signals along Pine Street are timed to give priority to north–south travel along Pine Street and to accommodate exclusive pedestrian crossing phases. This design is intended for the new traffic volumes now the Parkway is fully opened. Driver behavior takes time to adjust to the new primary Pine Street route through this area.  As this transition occurs, congestion and delays at the Pine & Maple intersection will ease, and overall traffic flow will improve.

Back in the 1980s, when the Champlain Parkway was being planned, contamination from old coal‑gasification operations was discovered in the area near the Pine Street Barge Canal. Because of the environmental concerns, the site was added to the EPA’s first list of Superfund hazardous waste sites, and the federal cleanup process began. 

That cleanup effort put the original Parkway plan on hold—specifically the sections that would have run from Home Avenue to Lakeside Avenue and then from Lakeside all the way to Battery Street through the Superfund area. While that work was underway, VTrans studied other ways to move traffic without going through the contaminated site. 

Those studies found that using Lakeside Avenue and Pine Street as the main route was the safest and most workable option in the short term. That’s the alignment that was ultimately built and is in use today. 

Work on future connections to Battery Street are still moving forward separately. 

During the early planning and design phases, engineers evaluated whether the future Champlain Parkway could safely connect to the existing southern end of Pine Street. After extensive analysis, it was determined that creating an intersection at this location was not feasible. 

Several factors contributed to this decision: 

• Safety and traffic operations: Vehicles entering and exiting I‑189 are already navigating multiple transitions—merging with US Route 7 traffic and adjusting from highway speeds to city street speeds. Adding another intersection at this point would create unsafe and inefficient traffic movements. 

• Physical constraints: The terrain includes a significant elevation change, and Queen City Park Road sits very close to the Parkway alignment. These conditions prevent a safe roadway connection. 

• Pedestrian and bicycle considerations: The project team also explored options for a pedestrian and bicycle crossing at this location. However, the same physical constraints made all alternatives infeasible. 

For these reasons, the southern end of Pine Street was closed to through‑traffic and reconstructed as a cul‑de‑sac. 

Early in the planning and design process, potential intersections between the future Champlain Parkway and the existing Pine Street were considered and investigated. Ultimately, it was determined that connecting the future Champlain Parkway and Pine Street was not feasible and the decision was made to close the southern portion of Pine Street and construct a cul-de-sac. An intersection of this location would be challenging from both a safety and an operational standpoint. Traffic going from and to I-189 will be going through several transitions at this location including entering and exiting from/to US Route 7 and changing driveway speeds as vehicles transition between high-speed highway travel and low-speed City streets. In addition, the physical landscape does not allow for a safe connection due to a significant elevation change and Queen City Park Road’s close proximity to the new road. Construction of a pedestrian and bicycle crossing at this location was also considered during the design process. Several options were explored but ultimately were determined to not be feasible due to the physical constraints at this location.

The traffic signal at Lakeside Avenue doesn’t just manage the Parkway—it also has to accommodate two nearby driveways: the Department of Public Works entrance and the Innovations Center driveway. Because all of these access points are so close together, they’re included in the same signal system, which creates what functions like a 5‑way intersection. Coordinating all five movements under one signal allows for better progression along Lakeside Avenue and helps prevent extra delays or backups, especially with the Pine Street & Lakeside Avenue intersection so close by. 

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) options were considered as an alternative to the proposed alternative (the Champlain Parkway Project). The objective of TDM is to reduce vehicular volumes within urban areas through measures including improving public transit, creating park-and-ride facilities that encourage carpooling and/or transit use, increasing bicycle commuting opportunities, and working with employers to provide alternatives to single-occupant vehicle use by employees. The City of Burlington has made considerable efforts focusing on the incorporation of TDM measures over the years. The alternatives analysis, completed as part of the project, indicated that TDM measures alone would not be sufficient to address the project’s purpose and need. The proposed alternative, the Champlain Parkway Project, includes the implementation of some TMD measures.

The Champlain Parkway Project included transit improvements including new bus shelters and transit signal prioritization at signalized intersections. Transit users will benefit from the improved on-time bus service because of the reduced traffic congestion along Pine Street and the Transit Signal Priority capabilities as part of the updated traffic signals.