Irish Hill Road Bridge & Sidewalk Project

Irish Hill Road Bridge & Sidewalk Project
Introduction

Shelburne’s Comprehensive Plan was approved by the Selectboard in February of 2019. That Plan places a high priority on making Shelburne a safer and more attractive place for bicyclists and pedestrians. The Plan states that the Town should “Continue to pursue construction of bicycle pedestrian bridges over the LaPlatte River and complete the path network linking the Village Area and the residential neighborhoods north of Webster Road and along Irish Hill Road.” It also states that the Town should “Continue to make improvements to the pedestrian circulation system in the Village Center... Priority pedestrian improvements should be implemented as soon as possible.”

Background Information

The need for a safer connection between Shelburne village and growing neighborhoods located east of Shelburne Falls was first studied in 2011. The result of the study (see link to study at right) was a plan to construct improvements along Falls Road and Irish Hill Road. The plan includes installation of a prefabricated bridge for pedestrians and cyclists beside the existing, car-oriented bridge. It also includes construction of sidewalks both east and west of the bridge. The Town has a received a grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation to help pay for the improvements. The Town has hired an engineering firm—Stantec—to design the improvements and help move the project to completion.

Meetings and Progress

A public meeting to discuss the project was held on Monday January 13th in the Pierson Library Community Room. The meeting will be hosted by the Shelburne Bike and Pedestrian Paths Committee. In addition to including presentations about the project, a generous amount of time was set aside to address questions from the audience. A summary of the comments will be posted in the near future.

If you are interested in reviewing the presentations slides used at the meeting, please click the link under Related Documents.

Irish Hill Road Bridge & Sidewalk Project