StopTheCirc

the cost of the full Circ Highway

About two months ago I asked the Vermont Agency of Transportation for current cost estimates for the construction of the full Circ Highway -- a project the administration and the Chittenden County MPO are still (at least on paper) committed to.

I finally received a reply from John Ziconni, the Agency's Communications Director.

As you'll see, there are apparently no current cost estimates.

But, as Zicconi notes, as of about four years ago the total price tag was approximately $220 million -- that's right, closing in on 1/4 of a billion dollars.

Apparently, it's anyone's guess what the total price tag would be today. But who cares when it comes to evaluating the highway's staggering cost against its meager (if any) benefits -- certainly not the so-called fiscal conservatives in Montpelier!

Here's the correspondence:

-----Original Message-----
From: Planning Commissioners Journal <editor@plannersweb.com>
To: Zicconi, John <John.Zicconi@state.vt.us>
Sent: Wed Oct 03 14:37:23 2007
Subject: Circ Highway costs

Can you tell me if VTrans has any cost estimates for the full build out of the Circ -- not just the "A-B" segments that are part of the current EIS, but also including the Essex Jct to Colchester segments?
If you don't have any current cost estimates, can you tell me what your last estimates for the full Circ costs were. If you have the cost broken down by category (e.g., engineering, ROW acquisition, construction), that would be especially helpful.

Thank you.

Wayne M. Senville 
Editor, Planning Commissioners Journal

---

From: Zicconi, John [mailto:John.Zicconi@state.vt.us]
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 1:24 PM
To: editor@plannersweb.com
Subject: RE: Circ Highway costs

Wayne,

We had to locate some old records, but I have an answer to your question.

When last estimated (2004), the cost to complete Segments A/B, G/H and I/J was approximately $138 million.  At that time, we had spent approximately $82 million in design and ROW acquisition for Segments A-J, and the construction of Segments C-F and Susie Wilson Road. Thus the total price tag of building the entire Circ Highway, as it was conceived back in 2004, was approximately $220 million.

Thanks,

John Zicconi, Communications Director, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Secretary's Office, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05633-5001

Mary Sullivan asks "when gas hits $5 a gallon, will people ask where the Circ is?"

Bravo! A great letter to editor in the Burlington Free Press today from Mary Sullivan, who just happens to be Executive Committee Chair for the Burlington Democrats (though the letter apparently is written by her as an individual). Here are some excerpts:

"While gas prices rise, oil comes from very unstable parts of the world, and the single-occupant vehicle continues to pollute, I scratch my head and ask the question: Why are people assuming building the Circ Highway is the answer to our transportation woes? ... Building more roads will not solve [our congestion] problem. We desperately need to find alternatives to the gas-guzzling single-occupant vehicle. ... When gas hits $5 a gallon, will people ask where the Circ is? I doubt it. I believe people will ask where the alternatives are. Let's plan now for the inevitable and not promote costly pseudo-solutions that won't solve the problem."

State Rep. Pearson calls Circ "a whopping waste of money"

State Rep. Chris Pearson posted some good arguments against the Circ on the "Prog Blog" (of the state Progressive Party) today. Here are some excerpts from his posting titled Transportation Mis-Priorities:

"Hard to believe, but folks are still marching forward with plans for a circumferential highway in Chittenden County. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the backed up traffic at five corners each and every day is frustrating. And there’s no doubt that we have to come up with a solution to get emergency vehicles through the Williston I-89 intersection easily, even at peak hours. But a highway?

It’s been promised to shave a whopping 7 seconds off the average trip to work. It’s even been touted as a job stimulator, though recent reports undermine this claim.

Whatever the Douglas administration and other supporters use to sell this project, it’s a whopping waste of money. There has to be a better solution and there is certainly a need to spend the money elsewhere. Take maintenance of existing roads and bridges, for example."

Hope to see something similar on the Chittenden County Democrats blog soon or on the Vermont Democratic Party web site! If you're a Democrat, see if you can get something up there on the Dems web site and blog. Given the Dems concerns about "smart growth" and global warming, it should be a no-brainer. Email Chittenden County Democratic Party Chair Mike Yantachka at: miyantach@hotmail.com -- all of the Chittenden County Democratic city & town chairs are listed on their blog.

And Republicans, if you're the fiscal conservatives you say you are, how about weighing in against the enormous public expenditure planned for the Circ. I'll be posting more on why conservatives should be coming out against the Circ shortly.