Burlington, VT – Sept. 2025 — Downtown Burlington businesses are counting the days until the end of Main Street construction, now 19 months into the city’s Great Streets BTV project. While many owners remain hopeful about the long-term benefits, the disruptions have tested their ability to stay afloat.
The project, launched in February 2024, is a sweeping redesign of Main Street that includes wider sidewalks, flexible outdoor spaces, and stormwater collection upgrades to create a more walkable, dynamic downtown. Yet the transformation has come at a cost to local businesses, with some forced to permanently close and others struggling to maintain foot traffic.
“We did hire a public involvement coordinator at the start of the project so that businesses can have a regular contact dedicated to the project,” said Robert Goulding, Public Information Manager at the Burlington Department of Public Works (DPW). “We have been replacing water lines for property owners on Main Street at no cost to them and have offered a variety of parking promotions.”
Despite those efforts, businesses such as Nectar’s and The Gryphon recently announced closures, citing declining customer traffic. The Gryphon, in a September 7 post, admitted it had been a “trying past year.”
For those still in operation, survival has meant adapting. Alison Gibson, owner of Honey Road, explained how construction erased her outdoor dining options this past summer: “It definitely impacted our sales. We modified the way that we do our reservations in our walk a little bit. So now, we basically reserve more of the restaurant than we did historically. And that helped a lot.”
Similarly, Brad Kelley of Burlington Wine Shop shifted his sales strategy: “I’ve had to shift pretty heavily towards going after sales in terms of sending out emails and a few deals and offerings and stuff. People are definitely not walking in the door at the same rate as they have in past years.”
The prolonged disruptions have also frustrated employees and customers alike. Sarah Brochure, who works at Kountry Kart Deli, said: “It’s not fun standing here watching it every day. It hasn’t been fun having the road closed down, back and forth, because it’s tough for customers.”
Still, signs of progress are visible. Freshly poured sidewalks now line parts of Main Street, including outside The Gryphon, ironically completed just days after the restaurant’s closure. These upgrades reflect the original plan to make downtown more inviting for outdoor dining and pedestrian-friendly activities.
“I kind of wonder, when we do finally finish this in another year or so, what’s going to be here still? What’s gonna be left?” Kelley reflected.
The project is expected to finish by November 2026, but many acknowledge the need for the overhaul despite the hardships. “It hasn’t been great for business, but we’re realists. We know it has to be done,” Brochure said.
For others, like Gibson, the improvements offer hope: “The infrastructure needed to happen. The beautification is going to be really lovely.”
As Burlington looks ahead, business owners and residents alike are waiting to see if the long-term benefits of Great Streets BTV will outweigh the short-term losses—and who will still be standing when the project finally wraps up.
Originally reported by Tim in Vermont Biz.
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