Vermont is set to receive a $22.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help replace the Winooski River Bridge between Burlington and Winooski.
The state’s congressional delegation announced the award in a Thursday press release.
The bridge, which acts as the only direct connection between the cities, is nearly 100 years old.
Although it's still considered safe by government standards, state transportation officials said in a project outline that it was no longer equipped to handle the large volume of traffic between the two cities.
Around 25,000 vehicles, along with up to 2,000 cyclists and pedestrians and several transit routes, cross the bridge per day, according to the project’s website.
“The replacement of the Winooski River Bridge will boost northern Vermont’s critical infrastructure, improve safety and accessibility, and make Winooski more resilient to extreme weather,” U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint said in the release.
The new bridge will feature expanded traffic lanes, a new shared path lane for pedestrians and bicycles, and an improved drainage system to better withstand flooding.
The intersection going into the bridge will also be reworked to reduce the distance pedestrians and bicycles have to cross and lower the risk of vehicle crashes.
Officials expect construction to begin in 2027 and wrap up in 2030.
The estimated total cost of the project, which the Vermont Agency of Transportation is overseeing, is $70 to $80 million. Federal funding will pay for most of the work. The project previously received $24.8 million from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure federal grant in 2022.
Winooski and Burlington jointly own the bridge. Winooski voters approved a $4.6 million bond for the bridge during last year’s Town Meeting Day.
The Vermont congressional delegation has nominated the project for an additional $8 million in congressional funding for federal fiscal year 2026, which begins Oct. 1.
This project is one of 30 across the country to receive funding from DOT’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Grant Program, which was funded through a 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
