The Chamber of Commerce

The Circ Will Work

The Circumferential Highway: An Essential Transportation Project

What is the Circumferential Highway?

The Circumferential (Circ) Highway is a 15.8 mile limited access highway, also known as a bypass. When completed, the highway will run from I-89 in Williston through Essex past I-89 in Colchester, terminating at Route 127 north of the Heineberg Bridge (see Figure 1). Sections C-F of the Circ have already been built in Essex (from Route 117 to Route 2A). Both the current highway and planned remaining segments are designated as VT-289.

Reasons Why the Circ Will Work

The Circumferential Highway (Circ) is a critical transportation improvement that will relieve congested and unsafe roads, preserve village and town centers, promote smart growth and ensure a viable economic future for Chittenden County and Vermont. The Circ will:

• Relieve Congestion: The Circ will bring much needed relief from traffic congestion caused by the thousands of vehicles that travel local roads in Williston, Essex Town, Essex Junction and Colchester. The highway will benefit other communities in the region by improving access and traffic flow.
• Improve Safety and Air Quality: By removing through traffic from local roads, the Circ will create a safer route for commuters. It will allow residents and visitors to local businesses to enter and exit their driveways safely. Local roads will be safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. With fewer cars idling in traffic, there will be less air pollution.
• Promote Village Centers: The village and town centers in Colchester, Essex Town, Essex Junction and
  Williston will be enhanced because there will be fewer vehicles on local roads. Preservation of Vermont's villages is important to both our quality of life and our economy.
• Manage Commuter and Commercial Traffic: The Circ will help move commuter traffic and commercial vehicles directly to major businesses and industry in the region. The highway also will provide the infrastructure needed for existing companies to prosper and for potential future economic growth.
• Provide Benefits Beyond the Region: The Circ is more than a Chittenden County issue. Many people from surrounding counties travel to the Greater Burlington area every day for employment and other purposes. Chittenden County, with nearly 25% of the state's population, accounts for over 31% of the total jobs in the state and 37% of the state's total wages. To keep Chittenden County functioning as the "economic engine" of Vermont, the Circ needs to be built.
  "The Circ will actually prevent, rather than cause, sprawl. The proposed highway will relieve the congestion resulting from sprawl and growth that has already occurred and will control sprawl by limited access. Without the Circ, sprawl would be exacerbated by strip development along local roads." George Gerecke, Williston, Chair of the Chittenden Co. Circumferential Highway District
• Promote Smart Growth: Town planning has been based upon completion of the Circ. The Circ is needed to direct traffic away from neighborhoods and to planned growth centers. With traffic diverted, there will be less development pressure on existing roads. Smart local planning and transportation improvements must go hand in hand.
• Enhance the Region's Transportation System:
  The Circ is part of an integrated transportation system that includes new construction, improved public transportation and maintaining existing roads and bridges. An enhanced public transportation system cannot by itself solve the region's transportation needs. An integrated system that includes the Circ and other modes of transportation is necessary to address the diversified needs of this region.
• Link to Public Transit: Public transportation will be enhanced with the Circ since there will be less congestion, and bus commuting time will be reduced. In addition, there will be opportunities for park-and-ride lots in conjunction with the Circ.
• Conserve and Protect Land: Land preservation has been part of the planning for the Circ. Over 224 acres have been acquired by the state for wetlands and wildlife refuge areas. In addition, the towns hosting the Circ have set aside land for preservation.
• Incorporate Intersection Planning: The host towns maintain municipal plans, zoning and other policies (such as sewer core service areas) to manage and control growth at Circ Highway interchanges.

Traffic and Population Facts & Figures

"Pretending that traffic has not increased along with population is no longer an option. Chittenden County's future economic vitality and livability depend on a transportation system sufficient to move traffic and restore village centers for residents. The Circ Highway is an important step in that direction." Carolyn Yarnell, Colchester homeowner on Vermont Route 2A

• Congested vehicle miles traveled in Chittenden County increased by almost 40% from 1993 to 1998. Source: Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MPO's) 1999 Regional Indicators Report
• The number of congested vehicle miles traveled is expected to increase by 150% between 1993 and 2013 if no capacity improvements (such as the Circ and other new construction or road widening projects) are made to the system. Source: MPO Long Range Transportation Plan, 1997
• If improvements recommended by the MPO are made, including construction of the Circ, congested vehicle miles traveled will increase by only 50% over the same twenty-year period (1993 - 2013). Source: MPO Long Range Transportation Plan, 1997
• Population in Chittenden County is projected to increase from 148,295 persons in 2000 to 250,798 in 2035 (or nearly 70%). During the same period, employment is expected to increase by 98,000 jobs. Source: Economic and Demographic Forecast prepared by Economic & Policy Resources, Inc., September 2000

To address traffic congestion and accommodate the estimated population and employment growth, the Circ needs to be constructed, and additional transportation improvements completed.

Circ Costs

Sections A and B of the Circ (from I-89 in Williston to Route 117 in Essex) are ready to be constructed. The state share of the cost for these two segments is approximately $8 million. The federal share is $36.8 million.

Delay in constructing Sections A and B and other segments of the Circ only results in cost increases. If the Circ is not built, the investment made to date will be wasted, and towns in the region will need to widen local roads at significant cost and with a negative impact on the quality of life for residents along those roads.

Why Bypasses Work

Bypasses have been built successfully around Vermont to address traffic congestion, improve safety and preserve the unique quality of communities. Examples of bypasses in Chittenden County include I-189 and the Burlington Beltline (Route 127). Burlington and South Burlington streets would experience gridlock without I-189, and North Avenue in Burlington would have bumper-to-bumper traffic without the Beltline. Bypasses elsewhere in Vermont, including Route 4 from Fair Haven to Rutland and Route 7 from Bennington to Manchester, have preserved historic downtowns and neighborhoods.

Presently the Route 9 Bypass around Bennington is under construction. With the construction of the Circ Highway, the state's successful bypass program will continue, and the quality of life in local communities will be enhanced.

Be Part of the Solution!

Segments A and B of the Circ are ready to go. Before construction can begin on A and B and other segments, the Vermont legislature must include funding in the state's transportation capital budget.

Contact your legislators and ask them to support funding for construction of the Circ in the next budget year.

Please call or write your state representative(s) and senator(s) to let them know that funding for the Circ is important.

To Contact Your Legislators
On days that the legislature is in session, you may reach legislators at: (800) 322-5616 or (802) 828-2424 (fax).

The mailing address in Montpelier is:
Vermont State House
Drawer 33
Montpelier, VT 05633-5501.

For legislators' home addresses and phone numbers, you can contact us at: (802) 863-3489, ext. 218 or 210 or check the Vermont legislature's web site at www.leg.state.vt.us.