BURLINGTON-WINOOSKI — Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians who rely on the Burlington-Winooski Bridge should brace for early signs of what’s ahead as crews start preparation work this month for a major bridge replacement project that will span the next several years.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation has confirmed that northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane for two days, July 28 and July 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., while crews gather soil samples needed for the final design.

This small disruption is just a glimpse of the multi-year undertaking to replace the nearly century-old bridge that links two of Vermont’s busiest cities, carrying an average of 25,000 vehicles and as many as 2,000 pedestrians and cyclists daily.

“It's just intermittent work we need to do as we work through the design phase,” said Robert Klinefelter, structures project manager with the Vermont Agency of Transportation. He explained that the soil sampling is necessary to finalize engineering details and minimize surprises later.

Over the past year, the project team has run multiple site tests to answer design questions and prepare the community for the larger plan: a three-year phased construction project that will begin in 2028 once the design wraps in 2027.

The bridge replacement will not be built all at once. Instead, crews will use phase construction, building parts of the new span next to the existing bridge to help keep daily traffic flowing as smoothly as possible.

“I think the concept that we've come up with … we feel is the least disruptive to the community,” Klinefelter said. “We have done a lot of public outreach over the last couple of years. We've heard input from downtown Winooski business organizations, and they're in favor of this alternative that we've chosen.”

Under the current plan, significant lane closures won’t begin until 2029, when sections of the old bridge will be dismantled piece by piece and replaced with new segments. Pedestrians, bikes, and vehicles will all be rerouted as necessary to keep people moving safely during construction.

The bridge overhaul comes at a time when businesses in both cities are already managing the ripple effects of multiple major infrastructure projects. Downtown Burlington’s Main Street reconstruction has challenged local shops since 2023 and won’t wrap up until late 2026. Winooski’s own Main Street rebuild started in April 2024 and is expected to finish next summer.

Despite the headaches, city leaders and local businesses largely agree that replacing the bridge is unavoidable.

“We've talked with a lot of stakeholders, and I think the majority recognize that this bridge is almost 100 years old and it needs to be replaced,” Klinefelter said. “It's sort of understood that it has to happen.”

To help ease frustrations, the project will add a community liaison to handle concerns and keep neighbors, drivers, and businesses updated as work progresses. The Vermont Agency of Transportation says it remains flexible: while the overall plan is in place, final construction details may adjust as the selected contractor and engineering firm refine the scope.

In a major boost, the project recently secured a $22.7 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help cover costs — a critical piece of funding that ensures the plan can move forward on schedule.

As the Burlington-Winooski corridor gears up for years of change, local leaders hope careful planning and clear communication will help both cities weather the inevitable disruptions — and emerge with a safer, modern bridge built to last the next 100 years.

Originally reported by Adiah Gholston in Vermont Public.