Shelburne St. roundabout to be operational by fall. Here's what they're working on now.
The Shelburne Street roundabout in Burlington will soon be completly open to traffic after a year of construction, according to Vermont Agency of Transportation.
While $10 million project won't officially be done until next spring, the roundabout will be fully functional in late summer or early fall said project manager Mike LaCroix via email. Planners hope the roundabout will lead to a safer situation for motorists and pedestrians as the former maze of merging lanes contributed to many serious crashes.
The roundabout will be located at the intersection of Shelburne Road, South Willard Street, Ledge Road and Locust Street in the South End.
Earlier coverage:Construction brings two months of traffic detours in Burlington's South End
Right now, workers are installing streetlights, curbing, splitter islands and sidewalks as well as paving the shared-use paths and roadway, applying temporary line striping, and making landscaping enhancements. This work will continue for the next few months.
Crews have already completed underground work including installing utility and storm water infrastructure, removing and disposing of contaminated soil and roadway construction. In the spring, workers will put in remaining signs, apply the final layer of asphalt and permanent line striping and finish landscaping.
During the past year of construction, workers had the additional challenge of dealing with the hard ledge bedrock that happens to be under some of the area. Nearby neighborhoods received blast warnings when workers were forced to cut through the rock.
Motorists can currently drive through the roundabout, but lane closures and configurations can change daily, and drivers should expect delays when traveling through the work zone. A Vermont Transportation Agency update strongly encourages continuing to use detours on to Flynn Avenue, Pine Street and Howard Street.
Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Shelburne Street roundabout: When the roundabout will fully open
