Route 9 Corridor Management Plan 2021 (Final)
Sharing known issues and potential future action items along Route 9 between Bennington and Brattleboro. June 2021 Final
Please note that this website/ presentation is designed in conjunction with the project website which summarizes the outreach/ engagement process.
Some orientation
Navigating this website/ "StoryMap"
- Look along the top for "tabs" showing different sections
- Scroll down to view more content
- Click on dark green boxes for links to other websites or documents
- Explore interactive maps
About the maps
- 4 digit ID (3001, 3012, etc) can help you to cross reference against the larger map of needs. These should stay consistent as the project proceeds
- Local names are includes where known - such as Turners Corner in Marlboro and Hogback Mountain
- More detailed information is available in the larger map near the end
What is Corridor Management?
What are we trying to achieve?
A safe, reliable and multimodal transportation system that grows the economy, is affordable to use and operate and serves vulnerable populations.
Project Goals
- Gather feedback on local needs and concerns in a focused and effective way
- Identify practical recommendations that are possible to implement in the short-term in combination with asset management investments such as paving and bridge projects.
- Identify longer-term needs that may be addressed through other AOT and municipal programs.
- Monitor progress and changes through Annual Status Meetings with corridor partners and stakeholders, and update the plan as necessary
Route 9 Corridor
For the purposes of this study VTrans focused on the Route 9 corridor from VT-279 in Bennington to I-91 in Brattleboro. It focuses on the state roads and infrastructure, although a section of Class 1 Town Highway is part of the study area in Brattleboro.
Route 9 is 45 miles long, and this study includes 37 miles. The Route is part of the National Highway System .
The map below shows the towns along the corridor and the three main population centers which are designated downtowns (Bennington, Wilmington and Brattleboro). This corridor is also a vital connection to the Deerfield Valley along Route 100 which includes Mt. Snow.
Throughout this presentation:
- town boundaries - black dashed line
- half mile buffer on corridor - black dotted line
Explore the maps by clicking on the following tools:
- Top left - Magnifying glass - Use this to search the map for a place
- Bottom left - Legend/ Key - Use this to see what the colors and symbols mean on the map
- Top left - Two arrows - Expand the map to fill the entire screen
- Bottom right - Plus and minus symbols - Use to zoom in and out of the map (you can also just use the roller on your mouse)
- "Pull" the map to move up and down, left and right
- Click on part of the map to get more information. Some of the information shown has a "pop-up" with more information
Planned Projects
VTrans has various projects which are already in development along the corridor.
The most notable projects are:
- Resurfacing along VT 9 from Wilmington MM 7.077 to Brattleboro MM 4.178. Construction expected 2021 - 2022.
- Replacement of Bridge 20 (Large culvert) in Searsburg. Construction expected 2022
More information is available at:
Key themes
Traffic
Traffic is a big concern along the Route 9 corridor, particularly ski traffic.
Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) tells us the typical number of motor vehicles travelling along the road per day. This number includes cars, trucks, motorcycles and buses.
This map shows AADT for 2018 ranging from
- 10,000 or more - dark purple
- 5,000 - 10,000 - light purple/ grey
- 2,500 - 5,000 - light orange
- 2,500 or less - dark orange
As the graphic opposite shows, traffic on Route 9 has been increasing slowly over the last decade. The average daily traffic for 2019 was 5,500 vehicles.
Winter traffic* has considerable variations with highs on Fridays
- Average daily traffic – 4,100
- Highest traffic - Fridays - 5,100
- Friday of President's Day weekend - 5,800
- Lowest traffic - Tuesdays - 3,600
- * For January and February traffic in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020
Traffic volumes vary as you travel along Route 9.
- West of Wilmington traffic has stayed around around 4,000 vehicles per day
- East of Wilmington traffic has increased from around 4,000 to 5,500 vehicles per day over the last decade
- Traffic is far heavier in the built up areas - where there are lots of people moving around visiting shops and businesses, going to schools, going home, and traveling through on other roads. These volumes are pretty typical for Vermont centers (see map on next page).
Truck traffic also varies along the Corridor (300 - 900 per day) reflecting a mix of:
- trucks just traveling along the length of the corridor
- trucks traveling locally to pick up and make deliveries
We are investigating oversize/ overweight truck usage of Route 9. From February - May 2021 oversized load permits for transporting manufactured homes were tracked and a memo summarizes the findings and next steps.
For more information about oversize/ overweight truck regulations, please visit the DMV Permit webpage .
Narrow shoulder widths can make a road feel narrow and feel less safe.
The map opposite shows some areas with over 3ft of shoulder on both sides of the road (dark brown), but also notable areas where there is less than 3ft on both sides of the road (light pink). Orange and blue sections mean that the shoulder is over 3ft on one side, and under 3ft on the other side.
The Route 9 paving project is seeking to increase shoulder widths where possible along the route between Wilmington and Brattleboro, aiming get 5ft shoulders wherever it can, although sometimes only 4ft is possible due to constraints like ledge.
Congestion
Related to the idea of traffic, is congestion.
Ski and event traffic can cause notable issues along the corridor.
VTrans staff and local towns are noticing an increasing amount of traffic using alternative routes to avoid traffic or just due to GPS routing (State roads and town roads)
Congestion analysis confirms some of the concerns.
Places of notable concern for congestion:
3003 - Route 100 North intersection in Wilmington
3005 - Route 100 South intersection in Wilmington
3016 - Augur Hole Road and other local roads used as detours
Safety and crashes
It's hard to think about traffic and congestion... and not think also about safety and crashes.
During the Fall 2019 Meeting with Secretary Flynn, VTrans staff heard of several areas of concern along Route 9.
As outlined in the Route 9 Paving project overview, VTrans is seeking to address some of these concerns along the route between Wilmington and Brattleboro. Some issues cannot be addressed within the timeline, budget and scope of the project so are instead recorded in the Corridor Management Plan so they are known and considered for future projects.
Places of notable concern for safety:
3001 - Woodford Rock Cut/ Ledges - Project expected 2021-2022
3007 - Hogback Mountain - And yes, we know it is rarely this empty!
3009 - Turners Corner in Marlboro
3010 - South Road intersection in Marlboro
3011 - Section near Marlboro Elementary School
3012 - Bridge 54 in West Brattleboro
There were also some common themes in some needs which are shown on the map:
- Improve roadway safety (section or intersection)
- Evaluate signage and/or road markings
- Improve safety near recreation area
Natural resources
Route 9 has a lot of prime wildlife habitat adjacent to the roadway.
It also has rivers and streams running close to the roadway which bring potential for water quality issues and flooding risk. Some areas also have drainage/ stormwater issues.
Places of notable concern for natural resources:
3017 - West Brattleboro Stormwater issues near the Dunkin Donuts
3020 - Searsburg Culvert - Due to be upgraded for wildlife crossing in 2022
3014 - Bridge 51 near Westgate Drive in West Brattleboro
3039 - Stream, bank and road work at Marlboro/ Brattleboro townline to improve resiliency. Construction hoped for 2022.
There were also some common themes in some needs which are shown on the map:
- Consider accommodating wildlife when rehabilitating or replacing structure
- Improve roadway resilience to flooding and extreme weather
- Improve drainage and/or stormwater infrastructure
Corridor Management Plan
What we have outlined so far is definitely not everything happening along the Route 9 Corridor. And it also does not identify next steps!
From late 2019 until early 2021 we compiled information from a variety of sources:
- Fall 2019 community meeting with Secretary Flynn
- VTrans staff and data
- Partners - other state agencies, towns, RPCs and other similar entities which help identify issues as well as be a partner to address some issues - eg ANR, VEM, BCRC, WRC, Green Mountain National Forest
- Public transit providers - SEVT, GMCN
- Stakeholders - people who use the corridor - including local residents, business owners and others who travel along the Corridor
Adjacent is a map that summarizes all the input from all sources and identifies potential next steps.
Project Goals
- Identify practical recommendations that are possible to implement in the short-term in combination with asset management investments such as paving and bridge projects
- Identify longer-term needs that may be addressed through other AOT and municipal programs.
What is the timeline for implementing this Corridor Management Plan?
- Short term - To be completed within the next 5 years. To be done through maintenance activities, incorporation within an existing project (most often a paving or bridge project), or is already included within a programmed project.
- Medium term - To be completed within a 5 - 10 year range. Work on the action item would start soon, but implementing the action item may take time due to funding availability, complexities of scope, harmonization or other similar reasons.
- Long term - Action item likely will not be implemented for at least 10 years, but work would start in the near term. Issues of funding, complexity of scope and project integration push the solution to this need out of the short term.
- Await harmonization opportunity (i.e. opportunity to incorporate into another project) - Next step does not have its own timeline and instead should await opportunity to "harmonize" with other projects.
Potential reasons for items to be pushed into medium or long term
- Coordination efforts with other partners – eg Town, other Agencies
- Funding availability from VTrans or seeking other funding sources
- Complexities of scope
- Additional study needed to refine recommendations
- Harmonization with other VTrans projects or coordination with municipal projects
- Town, regional or state policy changes needed to support project
- Traffic conditions have not yet met warrants but are anticipated to soon with anticipated local development
Remember, VTrans is not the entire solution! How can we get creative with our solutions?
For example, VTrans applied for Pre-Disaster Mitigation Funds from FEMA to address resiliency issues on the Marlboro/ Brattleboro townline (Item 3039).
Some action items assign the role of "lead implementer" to entities outside of VTrans - such as Towns or RPCs.
To the left is a different way to view the plan
- Cards on the left are organized from west to east. Scroll down so you don't just see issues that are corridor wide!
- Enter a key word (location, issue, or similar) to find all entries with that word. Scroll down to see all entries with those key words.
- Click on a point in the map to see a pop-up with more information - need/ concern, next steps, timeline, responsibility for implementation, etc
- Want to narrow your selection? Zoom into the map so the number of cards shown on the left are reduced. Or use one of the pre-set filters according to timeframe.
- Want to skim through several points in a row. Click on a point on the map, then in the pop-up click on the left or right arrow on the bottom right.
Next steps
Additional information about the project is posted on the project website
After the Plan is "finalized" in early summer 2021, the plan will be used by many different parts of VTrans as well as local partners like RPCs and Towns.
To keep this plan relevant, we intend to:
- keep the background data up-to-date (e.g. project lists, asset conditions, etc)
- check in with VTrans staff and local partners on a regular basis for updates (next update likely in 2023, after completion of the major paving project)
Periodically, updates will be emailed to partners and other interested parties along the Corridor. If you have not already received an email from Katharine about this project and would like to going forward, please email katharine.otto@vermont.gov .
Questions?
If you have questions or comments at any time, please reach out to Katharine Otto, VTrans Planning Coordinator - katharine.otto@vermont.gov or 802-917-3451 .
Summit of Hogback Mountain in the 1930s/1940s. Source: Vermont Ski Museum via the Vermont Landscape Project
