VT Transportation Board Seeks Your Input

From Local Motion

This fall, the Vermont Transportation Board will hold six public hearings at various locations around the state for the purpose of gathering public comment about transportation-related issues that face the State of Vermont.

Working with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) as well as the state's 11 Regional Planning Commissions, the Board identified six "hot" transportation topics on which it would like public input. While these six topics will be discussed at every hearing, time also will be provided for Vermonters to broach any additional transportation topic they wish.

"The Transportation Board likes to travel around the state to ensure it understands what is on people's minds," said Maurice Germain, Chairman of the Transportation Board. "We have certain topics that we specifically want people to address, but we also want people to provide us an earful regarding whatever topic is most important to them."

These six hot topics are:

• Transportation Revenues
• Bike & Pedestrian Issues
• The Future of Passenger Railroad & Inter-City Bus Services
• Climate Change – Resilience & Adaptation of the Transportation Network
• VTrans' Accelerated Bridge Program
• Roadway Safety

At each hearing, the Board will present background information regarding each topic to set the stage for discussion and comment. Following the hearings, the Board will submit a written report to both VTrans and the Vermont Legislature. The Board also will post the report on its website.

The public hearings will be held on the following dates:

1. October 24 in Brattleboro at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Windham RegionalCareer Center, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro, VT.
2. October 25 in Rutland at 6:30 p.m. in the Fox Room at the Rutland Free Library, 10 Court Street, Rutland, VT.
3. October 30 in White River Junction at 7 p.m. at the Upper Valley Academic Center, 145 Billings Farm Road, White River Junction, VT.
4. November 8 in St. Johnsbury at 6:30 p.m. at the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, 26 Easter Ave, St. Johnsbury, VT.
5. November 13 in Winooski at 6:30 p.m. at the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, 110 West Canal Street, Suite 202, Winooski, VT.
6. November 14 in Montpelier at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Vermont Regional Commission, 29 Main Street, Suite 4, Montpelier, VT.

"These locations were chosen with the help of officials at the state's Regional Planning Commissions," Mr. Germain said. "Next year, the Board will change the locations to provide as much geographic diversity as possible."

People who cannot attend a hearing can submit written comment by visiting the Board's website at http://www.aot.state.vt.us/tboard.

The upcoming hearings are being conducted according to Title 19 V.S.A. § 5(d)(8), which charges the Transportation Board to work together with the Agency of Transportation to hold public hearings "for the purpose of obtaining public comment on the development of state transportation policy, the mission of the Agency, and state transportation planning, capital programming and program implementation."

For more information, contact the Board's Executive Secretary John Zicconi atjohn.zicconi@state.vt.us or by calling 802-828-2942.