(802) 674-9201 ctitus@swcrpc.org

Transportation

The SWCRPC offers a wide range of transportation planning services for the Region based on our annual funding sources that typically include Transportation Planning Initiative, Safe Routes to School, municipal project management and other special studies. Our transportation program is based on VTrans’ Transportation Planning Initiative Manual and Guidebook , 19 V.S.A. §101 , and seeks to implement our Regional Transportation Plan. A significant amount of the transportation work done by SWCRPC is carried out through participation in Vermont’s Transportation Planning Initiative which is a collaboration between the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), the eleven Vermont Regional Planning Commissions. The FFY 2017 TPI Work Program details all the work that will be carried out in Southern Windsor County in conjunction with this initiative.  Click here for the draft FFY 2018 Work Program and draft budget.  In November 2014 SWCRPC completed its update to the Regional Transportation Plan.

SWCRPC has a Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) that advises on regional transportation issues with representatives from each community in southern Windsor County, an ex-officio representative from VTrans and up to two “at-large” members. Part of their work includes an annual prioritization of regional transportation projects (click here for the 2016 priorities) which helps VTrans to prioritize their work across the state. More information about the TAC’s meetings, agendas and work can be found on their webpage.

Summer construction projects and travel interruptions
Road Travel Website for Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine

In May 2016 VTrans unveiled its new “511” website – http://newengland511.org/ – which gives up-to-date travel information for state roads in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  Information for interstates, US highways and state highways includes traffic incidents, roadwork, traffic speeds, condition cameras, road conditions, etc.

Projects around Southern Windsor County occurring this year (2017)

There are a number of upcoming major bridge and road construction projects due for the region or nearby.  See below for basic information about these projects and contact Katharine for more information.  (Table last updated 5/10/2017)

Town Project Type Location Info Notes
Ludlow Bridge deck replacement VT-100N bridge just north of VT-103 Construction May – June 2017. Closure May 2017 More info
Ludlow Bridge replacement Walker Bridge VT-103 in Ludlow village Construction Summer 2017. 35 day closure starting in June More info
Rockingham and Springfield Paving US-5
Plymouth Paving VT-100A and VT-100 Daily Road Closures Mon – Fri, 8am – 4pm,
June 19-August 25, 2017. More info
Cavendish and Shrewsbury Railroad crossing improvements VT-103 railroad crossing just south of VT-131
Westminster – Walpole NH State Highway Bridge Connecticut River Bridge One way alternating traffic over the summer during construction.
Rockingham Interstate Bridge replacements North and Southbound interstate bridges just north of exit 6 Construction 2017 – 2019
Town Project Type Estimated Construction Year Location Info Notes
Rockingham Interstate Bridge replacements 2017 – 2019 North and Southbound interstate bridges just north of exit 6 Construction 2017 – 2019 Chester, Cavendish, Ludlow, etc Paving 2018 VT-103 from Rockingham to Clarenden
Ludlow Traffic Signal Installation 2018 VT-103 and VT-100N
Windsor and Cornish NH State Bridge work 2018 Cornish Windsor Covered Bridge Project being run by NHDOT
Cavendish and Weathersfield Paving 2018 – 2019 VT-131 from VT-106 to VT-103
Cavendish Town Highway Bridge Unknown Depot St Bridge (Br58) over Black River Bridge closed Dec 2015. More info

How do bridges get designed and built?

For more information about the Accelerated Bridge Program (ABC), which VTrans is using on the majority of the upcoming bridge projects in the region, click here.  There are also videos about some recent projects – including VT-131 Bridge 1 in Cavendish, and I-91 bridges over VT-44 in Windsor.

Regional Transportation Plan Update 2014
SWCRPC’s update to its 2009 Regional Transportation Plan was adopted on November 18, 2014 and became effective on December 23, 2014.  The plan is Volume 2 of the Regional Plan and is available on the Publications Page.  An interactive map of the needs identified within the plan is available below.

For more information about the Transportation Plan Update, please contact Katharine Otto.

View SWC Regional Transportation Plan Update in a larger map

Alternative Ways to Commute and Way To Go Commuter Challenge
WTG LOGO 2013

Way To Go is a challenge for commuters to find alternatives to driving alone to work. Started in Chittenden County in 1994, the Vermont event has expanded geographically to encompass participants in 250 municipalities throughout the state in 2012. More information about the statewide challenge can be found at http://www.waytogovt.org/.

What is happening this year?
This year’s commuter challenge is 2 weeks long – September 26 – October 7, 2016.  If you are interested in getting your business involved in this year’s event, please contact Katharine.

How can I benefit from finding an alternative way to commute?
There are several advantages to not travelling alone in your car/ truck, including:

  • Reducing the amount you have to spend on gas
  • Reducing transportation pollution
  • Improving your health

What commuting options are there in the area?

Commuting options in the southern Windsor County area include:

  • Taking the Bus – Try Southeast Vermont Transit’s in town and out-of-town routes with The Current. Also check out their Park and Ride options from the I-91 exit parking lots.
  • Carpool/Rideshare – Talk to colleagues and neighbors, or check out Go Vermont’s Carpool database and the Upper Valley Rideshare list. Both formal programs include guaranteed ride home options.
  • Bike – In addition to cycling along the roads you could also try out the Toonerville Trail that connects Springfield to Charlestown.
  • Walking – There are several sidewalk networks in town and village centers that connect homes, schools, businesses and shops.

Park and Ride
SWCRPC has three state park and rides which serve the region on I-91 at exits 7 (Springfield), 8 (Ascutney) and 9 (Hartland/ Windsor) and have commuter transit connections.  There is also a park and ride lot in Ludlow – at the Fire Department.  SWCRPC monitors the usage of these lots monthly – see our 2016 Annual Report Park and Ride Count Report.  SWCRPC has also completed needs assessments for park and ride lots in the region (existing and new) – 2010 Park and Ride Needs Assessment and the 2012 Addendum.
Bicycling and Walking
SWCRPC has a variety of bicycling and pedestrian options in the region – include sidewalks in many villages and downtowns and the Toonerville Trail that connects Springfield to Charlestown.   VTrans and SWCRPC monitors usage of some of these facilities through both manual and automatic counts.  See our 2016 Annual Bicycling and Pedestrian Count Report for more details.

Vermont Complete Streets Guidebook

The new Vermont Complete Streets Guidebook was released in November 2012 and is available at http://healthvermont.gov/family/fit/target.aspx#streets.  For more information about the Complete Streets Act which took effect on July 1, 2011, check out our Vermont’s Complete Streets Law Technical Bulletin.

Safe Routes to School

SafeRoutesToSchoolVTLogoSafe Routes to School is a national program encouraging children to walk and bicycle to school.

Vermont Safe Routes to School seeks to make it easier for all Vermont children, including those with disabilities, to enjoy the outdoors and become more physically active by providing funding for infrastructure improvements, safety education, and enforcement of safety laws.  In Southern Windsor County, Windsor and Weathersfield have participated in the Safe Routes to Schools program.  In July 2011 VTrans launched a Safe Routes to School Resource (SRTS) Center to distribute non-infrastructure SRTS support to all interested schools.  More information is available at http://saferoutes.vermont.gov/.

Traffic Counts and Speed Studies
Every year the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and SWCRPC monitor traffic along a variety of roads in the region. The RPC traffic count program is intended to supplement VTrans’ traffic data in the Region. It includes counts at 19 locations across the region on a bi-annual basis. The RPC also performs traffic counts at the request of towns on a limited first-come, first-served basis. Data can be collected on volume, vehicle classification and speed. For more information about the traffic counts see the reports below and contact Katharine.

Traffic count data is also collated and collected by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans).  Traffic Count reports are published online in two locations (both state and SWCRPC counts):

  • VTrans Traffic Research Publications (http://vtrans.vermont.gov/operations/technical-services/traffic).
    • Most count locations have basic traffic count data available in the “Automatic Traffic Recorder Station History” reports
    • Some count locations also have information about what type of vehicles (cars, motorcycles, buses and trucks) used the roads (“Automatic Vehicle Classification Reports”).
    • One of the counters in Ludlow is permanently collecting data (P6Y209 – on Okemo Mountain Road 300ft from VT103). Data for this site is available in the “Red Book” (2014 Continuous Traffic Counter Grouping Study and Regression Analysis Report).
  • VTrans Traffic Data Management System (http://vtrans.ms2soft.com)
    • Counts from all locations are available.
    • The database is searchable and has an online map.
    • Includes summary data (eg AADT), as well as data for individual days and hours.
    • Includes traffic counts, speed data and turning movement counts

Setting speed limits

For more information about setting speed limits/ controlling speed on your roadways, check out this interesting video by Maine Dept of Transportation.

Transportation Inventories and Capital Budgeting
Each year SWCRPC assists a few towns with updates to a variety of transportation infrastructure inventories – roads, bridges, culverts, signs, sidewalks, etc.

All SWCRPC bridge and culvert inventories are uploaded at http://vtculverts.org and are visible to all without needing to log in – maps, culvert sizes, materials and condition.

The following are some general resources related to road maintenance and budgeting from Regional Road Foreman Meetings:

Some other helpful resources:

Vermont Clean Water Act (Act 64) and Municipal Transportation
The Vermont Clean Water Act (VCWA) (Act 64) was signed into law on June 17, 2015.  SWCRPC will be helping with implementation of this grant.

As part of the Act, Vermont Towns will be required to complete a Municipal Roads Permit.  As of December 2015, few details are known about what this will look like, but below are the resources we have, and we will be organizing outreach meetings in early 2016 to provide more information:

For more information about the Clean Water Act and its implementation (not just transportation related!) in Southern Windsor County, see http://swcrpc.org/water-quality-planning/

Safety and Crashes
SWCRPC is involved in a variety of efforts related to improving the safety of the Region’s transportation system, including:

  • High Risk Rural Roads Program
  • Regional Highway Safety Forum – May 2015
  • Identification of areas with safety concerns in 2014 Regional Transportation Plan Update

The following resources could be useful for people looking for crash and safety information:

Culverts, Bridges and the Stream Alteration Permit
In the last few years several things have changed concerning what you do when you replace a culvert or bridge.  ANR introduced the Emergency Protective Measure authorization process to enable rapid response for stream alteration permits addressing flood-related imminent threats to life or imminent threats of severe damage to property, while at the same time meeting the reporting requirements and implementation standards in the stream alteration general permit.  The process consists of three stages, each of which contain a number of intermediary steps, possible pathways and outcomes. The three stages include: 1. Municipal Approval, 2. Preliminary ANR Authorization, and 3. Final ANR Authorization.

Emergency Protective Measures (EPM) Permit Web Reporting Form
Guidance for EPM permits (PDF)

You can download a town maps that highlight the GREEN/ORANGE/RED streams that will need larger-sized culverts here (select your town in the dropdown for “Stream Watershed Sizes”).  These may need to be bigger than your town road and bridge standards recommend to meet the new stream alteration general permit.  They may not need hydraulic studies but should be sized by your Stream Alteration Engineer.  The Stream Alteration Engineer districts have changed on 12/1/14 – and all our region is covered by Todd Menees.

Please visit the VT Rivers Program Permits page for more information or contact Katharine Otto, kotto@swcrpc.org.

Regional Road Foreman Meetings
SWCRPC, in conjunction with TRORC, regularly organizes meetings for the road foremen of Orange and Windsor Counties.  Since 2010 alone the meetings have covered a wide variety of topics including: