Project Bypasses Bennington Businesses

Proposal and savings
Cancel plans to build the Bennington Bypass. Estimated project costs are $120 million — 80 percent federally funded.

Background
First suggested in 1958, the Bennington Bypass is a ten-mile highway that would be constructed around the town of Bennington (pop. 11,000). Project interest was revived in the 1980s as it was promoted as a means of stimulating industrial growth. The project has three segments: a Western Connector, from Route 9 in New York to Route 7 North in Vermont; an Eastern Connector from Vermont Route 7 to Vermont Route 9 West; and a Southern Connector from Vermont Route 7 South to Vermont Route 9 East.

Status
Due to a grandfather clause, the project escaped scrutiny under Vermont’s ACT 250, which is Vermont’s regulation that screens projects for environmental impacts. The Western Connector is included in the state’s transportation plan and will likely receive funding from the state legislature this year. The entire project must still obtain permits for possible wetlands and water table damage.

Problems with the project
Taxpayer Concerns Economically, a 1988 Bennington Chamber of Commerce study found that the Bypass might cause area businesses to lose nearly 30 percent of revenue from tourists. Also, the project would contribute to urban growth and sprawl on the outskirts of town, thus causing the decline of the downtown commercial center.

Local Community Concerns
Alternatives have not been seriously considered. In a six hundred page Environmental Impact Statement, only three pages are dedicated to Bypass alternatives. These include developing a public transportation system (which Bennington does not have), working with the infrastructure already in place, and designing smaller, less obtrusive truck routes.

Environmental Concerns
The Bypass threatens sensitive wetlands, and it would also damage prime agricultural land, 21 archaeological sites, and seven state historic buildings. One of the archaeological sites that will be impacted by this project has been documented by the University of Maine as an important Native American site — with a two thousand year history. Altogether, about forty buildings will be razed for this project. Many parts of the proposed route have been documented as wildlife habitat for uncommon species, as well as deer habitat.

Contacts
Bret Chenkin, Citizens for Alternatives to the Bennington Bypass, (802) 442-9330, chenks@aol.com; Brian Dunkiel, Friends of the Earth, (802) 862-1706, bdunkiel@foe.org; Mark Sinclair, Conservation Law Foundation, (802) 223-5992, msinclair@clf.org.