Challenge

Residents of Willowbrook, an affordable housing development in Bennington, VT, lacked safe pedestrian access to the adjacent Applegate development, the nearby elementary school, and the town’s major commercial corridor. Residents had been creating ad hoc paths through a wetland to gain access to these neighboring resources without walking on the dangerous road shoulder. 

Solution

In 2014, we worked with the Bennington County Regional Commission on a VTrans Municipal Assistance Bureau scoping study to explore the feasibility of improving pedestrian pathways for Willowbrook residents. Design took place in 2017. During design development, we coordinated with USACE and the VT Agency of Natural Resources to avoid or limit the location of the path in the jurisdictional area to avoid the need for a full NEPA review. We coordinated with landowners to obtain documentation and signatures to create a right-of-way and worked with VTrans to approve the right-of-way. The finalized path alignment and construction met U.S. DOJ 2010 ADA standards for accessible design and U.S. DOT’s proposed guidelines for public rights-of-way. We also produced construction documents and provided bidding services. 

Results

The project was completed in summer 2021. 

At a Glance

• Client: Bennington County Regional Commission
• Location: Bennington, VT
• Dates: 2014-2021
• Services Provided:
  • Engineering
  • Survey
  • Bidding
  • Construction Administration
• Permitting:
  • USACE VT General Permit VT
  • Individual Wetlands Permit
  • NEPA Categorical Exclusion