The state is asking city leaders and regional planners for feedback on an idea to build a bike corridor along Route 5. The route runs nearly 200 miles from Massachusetts to Quebec, along Vermont’s eastern edge.
The new cyclist-oriented infrastructure could be a combination of painted bike lanes and off-road paths that stretch the length of the state. It would be a huge project, if it goes ahead.
“We haven’t done anything on the scale of Route 5,” said Matthew Arancio, a planning manager with the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
“The reason why this is the first preliminary survey is that this is just a large scale – both in terms of the people involved. [and] geography”.
We haven’t done anything on the scale of Route 5.
Matthew Arancio, a planning manager with the Vermont Agency of Transportation
The agency began surveying city boards of selectmen and regional planning commissions this month as needed under recent state legislation Order that they gauge interest in “the creation of a bicycle corridor along part or all of US Route 5, including consideration of the costs of creation and the benefits to the tourism industry.”
There is a lot of interest in this type of infrastructure now, according to Arancio, such as a bicycle track that goes from Montreal to New York Cityand the newly completed Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
For reference, he said the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail took about 10 years to complete from the initial planning process.
“And that’s entirely within the scope of the agency. It’s not about any additional complexity associated with adjacent properties,” Arancio said.
“I would certainly expect a longer time frame for this.”
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Excellent write-up