Wondering if the traffic jams on Route 116 during the morning and evening peak times are now the "new normal"? Concerned that new development projects in the village growth area are going to make this situation worse? These are logical questions. Come to the Town Hall on Tuesday (Feb 11) at 7pm to hear some logical solutions.

With the help of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC), we've been working with a professional transportation consultant from the firm of Dubois & King to assess the Route 116 corridor (current and likely future conditions). This consultant has been working collaboratively with CCRPC transportation planners, VTrans policy and operations staff, and a local steering committee made up of nine Hinesburg citizens. Traffic modeling shows some strategies can reduce peak hour delay significantly - even under future build out scenarios. No strategy eliminates traffic queuing 100% during the peak commuting hours - we will always have some degree of that. Improvements can be made, and a future defined by peak hour gridlock is not inevitable.

With that said, we need to make choices and set priorities. Engineers typically provide options - each one with various pros & cons. The job of the "client" (i.e., Hinesburg) is to review those pros and cons, and set priorities and a way forward. Wait a minute... isn't that the Selectboard's job? The Selectboard plays a pivotal role to be sure, but so does the community at large. In messy representative democracy (and yes, ours can be messy at times), the larger the conversation, the better the outcome - as long as we have real leadership and a practical can-do approach. YOU are invited to be part of that larger conversation on Tuesday evening. For more information about the Route 116 Corridor project, check out the Planning & Zoning page of the Town website (www.hinesburg.org) or give me a call.

Alex Weinhagen
Director of Planning & Zoning, Town of Hinesburg
hinesburgplanning@gmavt.net
www.hinesburg.org - Planning/Zoning page
802-482-2281 ext. 225
10632 Route 116, Hinesburg, VT 05461

Mar 7 to 9, 2025

Mar 7, 12 AM to 4 PM, Mar 9, 2025

Mar 8, 2025, 10 AM to 6 PM