Business owners, who have tolerated construction in the area for years, are worried about having no traffic on St. Paul from Main to Maple streets starting in early April and running through August.
Dick Vaughn, who opened Perky Planet Coffee two months ago on the stretch, said his business relies on foot traffic. The closure “will be devastating,” he said.
The two-block stretch has been a construction site on-and-off for years. The Stratos building was redeveloped in 2014, and Champlain College broke ground on its four-story 194 St. Paul Street student housing complex in 2016.
The latest construction is part of the city’s Great Streets Initiative, a renovation of several downtown streets. The finished version of St. Paul will include widened sidewalks, more trees, bike racks, and space for awnings and outdoor seating for restaurants.
Construction began last August. The street originally was scheduled to be closed until Thanksgiving, before reopening for winter and then closing again from April through Memorial Day.
Instead, workers hit snags. Last fall, they found buried fuel tanks and removed them, according to Rob Goulding, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works. They also found some contaminated soil and had to create a plan to remove it. In January, the Burlington City Council approved $260,000 to cover the extra costs of the nearly $5 million project.
The discoveries kept the street closed through mid-January. And now the Department has extended the project completion date until the end of August.
Workers will replace and broaden the sidewalks and repair water mains, Goulding said. The side streets will also be closed at times.
The city met with local business representatives on March 15 to discuss the delays, according to Goulding, who helped facilitate the gathering. Business owners asked that the city promote available space in the Champlain College-owned parking garage.
Dave Bedard, co-owner of Juice Amour, which opened in February, echoed Vaughn’s concerns. “We were just kind of getting into the groove of things,” he said. “There goes all of our foot traffic.”
He hoped the city would compensate the business in some way. “If they don’t do something, I don’t know if we can make it to September 1,” he said.
Goulding said the city would try to help with signs or parking incentives, but urged businesses to keep in mind the end result. “It’s going to be a great project when it’s done,” he said.
The construction is inconvenient, said Leslie Wells, co-owner of Pizzeria Verità, Trattoria Delia and Sotto Enoteca on the northern block. But she has her eye on the long-term benefits. “It’s a little dark down here, and it’s not as exciting as Church Street,” she said. “This project will change that. In the long-term, it’ll be nice.”
Correction, March 20, 2018: The fuel tanks discovered under St. Paul Street were removed last fall. A previous version of the story contained an error.
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been closed forever- what the hell can be holding them up on two blocks? seriously? someone needs to get it together
Is this another Weinberger/Sinex project?
If you need symbolism representing the disastrous administration of Mayor Miro Weinberger, look at the St.-Paul-Street fiasco.
The mismanagement of the city’s streets is an excellent example of Weinberger’s lack of administrative experience.
Keeping a single block closed for a year – and local businesses shuttered for just as long – for a minor construction project prompts the apt comment posted in this forum by Sean Moran: “Seriously?”
And how about the citywide intersection disasters with the plastic pylons – and concrete trash bins, which Weinberger calls “planters?” The pylons and garbage bins were supposedly placed at intersections for pedestrian safety. Right.
And the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars wasted on confusing, dangerous pavement striping that gets more bizarre by the year? Striping designed for bike safety. Right.
How many more examples do we need?
Yet voters in the last mayoral election gave Miro a thumbs up, so to speak …
The residents of Vermont’s largest city simply love incompetent leadership.
The only thing they love more are the skyrocketing property taxes that the council and mayor approve year after year after year – as city services get worse year after year after year.
Too bad the 3,000 petitioners who are wasting their time and money fighting Miro on a park tree-removal project don’t realize that it’s a fool’s errand that neglects the reality: rising taxes that are driving people to the burbs where housing is “affordable.)
If you like your city, vote again for Miro Weinberger.
“If you like your city, vote again for Miro Weinberger.”
I do, and I will.
The article makes it sound like the street has been closed off since 2014. It has not. it was open when for most of the time Champlain College student housing was under construction.
As with all construction there are bumps in the road such as,
Instead, workers hit snags. Last fall, they found buried fuel tanks, according to Rob Goulding, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works. Theyll remove those this spring. They also found some contaminated soil, and had to create a plan to remove it.
It’s a pain sometimes but it will be worth it.
Yes, it’s been closed a long long time. Once again, over-budget and overdue – construction is usually like that. The Park Project is already assessed as over-budget, and I’d bet it’ll be overdue before it’s done. That’s what happens. Unfortunately, it’s our problem (the taxpayers) and our money. What are the odds they’ll find soil contamination in City Hall Park? My gosh, further delays and double the money – how did that happen?
Okay, I expect a good response here – let’s see if we can exceed a dozen dislikes by midnight? I’m sure Mr. knowyourassumptions can help. Mr. Grownassman? Time to check in…bye for now…
Thanks for the news that construction projects can take a long time and often go over budget. I had forgotten that.
They should have dug up the tanks when they found them and figured out how to take care of the dirt also. But it’s a typical city job where they just take their sweet time
Yes Charles, Its probably overdue that the Grownassman came in here to check your nonsense. Ill make it quick. Dont you think its more than a little bit ironic or maybe a tad hypocritical the progressive left leaning complaints on this article about delays and hold-ups regarding the St. Paul street construction when the left has engaged in non-stop delays and hold-ups with anything Miro proposes? These delays have cost the taxpayers time, money and energy spent by the administration to work through while delaying the financial benefits the city would receive had the projects been completed earlier. There are real opportunity costs involved when you add up all the delays the city has had foisted on it. And did you notice that your side is losing all the lawsuits based on lack of merit? Not one judge has sided with the sky is falling rationale you folks keep throwing up. But go ahead find a way to blame Miro for buried storage tanks that delay construction most rationale Burlingtonians will know better.
Excuse me, Mr. Imagrownupassmanbtv, but I’m not complaining about tanks at all. And if I’m the new Left or something, that’s news to me. Everyone I know is just a person. What would you call yourself? Or what should I call you? How seriously shall we take you anyway, with that pseudonym? You think my arguments are silly? I think yours are fatuous hooey. And you can call me Mr. Messing.
Okay, Mr. Messing, let me unpack it further for you. I was lumping in your complaints along with all the other left leaning folks on the comment section and generalizing how ridiculous it is to take such offense to the delays. Lets be real here, its not the right thats complaining about Miro or even Democrats (like me) who are complaining about everything Miro does, its the left. Only they could find Miro personally responsible for unforseen road repair delays and make it a reflection on his administration. Yes you did complain about the delays and made assertions that a similar inconvenience could likely occur at City Hall Park. Im just noticing its hypocritical for you folks to complain about delays when the left has been engaging in delay tactics against anything Miro wants. Its a fair point to make. I noticed that you didnt speak to the substance of this argument but went into imagined technicalities and being dismissive because Im anonymous. It doesnt matter who I am, as long as what Im saying makes some amount of sense. The Grownassman just likes to comment, give context to and point out how unreasonable some criticism in this town is. Its why Im Grownass.
Hi there, Mr. Imagam, I appreciate you unpacking whatever it is that was packed. Yes, you were lumping in my concerns with the Left. And I assume that means youre Right. Well, my concerns are more about trees than delays, and if you wish not to be delayed I wish you wouldnt read my comments. There may be soil contamination in the park, or there may not. As far as we being against everything Miro does, I think youre the one skipping around the issues. You see no merit in any of my points? You see no merit in anybodys points? Well, the problem is not with me; you and I just seem to be in the grip of opposing forces. We disagree. I can only add that it might be more grown-up of you to have your real name appear. On the other hand, what do I know? Bye, Mr. Imagam.