BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Construction season is kicking off early in the Queen City.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger on Monday announced that work on the long-anticipated overhaul of Main Street is underway.
“This whole gateway to the city will really be transformed,” Weinberger said. “There is great hope and investment in the future of this city. There are so many new businesses that are starting up there are so many new people that are investing in the downtown. In many ways, the future of Burlington has never been brighter.”
The project is the third and largest element of the city’s $30 million Great Streets Initiative, following previous work to revamp City Hall Park and Saint Paul Street. The Main Street makeover will replace century-old sewer and water systems along with new bike lanes, public art, wider sidewalks, and gardens.
The work begins between South Winooski Avenue and South Union Street. Bulldozers are just a few feet away from Perrywinkle’s Fine Jewelry. The store’s Winklette Whittemore says she’s worried about decreased foot traffic but still feels supported by the city. “The city is working with us and has been to try to make it as seamless as possible and to make sure that people do know that businesses are still opened regular hours,” she said.
Down the street, The Flynn is also preparing for construction on their doorstep. “Our key message to audiences throughout the construction will always be to arrive early at The Flynn. This aims to give everyone enough time to make their dinner reservations and their show,” said The Flynn’s Jay Wahl.
A block away, business owners like Bill Bartlett at Café Saint Paul hope the Main Street isn’t a repeat of their disruptive 2019 overhaul. “It was supposed to be a 180-day project. It ended up taking about 400 days. Very difficult, chain link fences, hard to get into the space, hard to get around, almost no parking,” Bartlett said.
Mayor Weinberger says the city learned its lesson from Saint Paul, planning for potential roadblocks and working with local businesses to reroute foot traffic and communicate changes. “We are going to work very hard to make sure that if there are any changes in the plan, that’s been communicated fully with effected business owners and the public,” he said.
The city estimates construction could extend into late 2026 or early 2027 at the latest.
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