The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is working to create a safe, efficient, multimodal transportation system that supports the state’s growing economy. A new report released today will help VTrans do this even better in coming years.
VTrans, in partnership with Smart Growth America, has unveiled a work program for revising the Vermont State Standards, which provide VTrans staff and other partners with direction in designing roadway transportation projects.
The new report, Revising the Vermont State Standards; M2D2: Multimodal Development and Delivery, identifies specific modifications to the Vermont State Standards, recommends changes to other related VTrans guidelines and policies, and presents an implementation plan and schedule for conducting the revisions. The new revisions will help VTrans keep pace with the state of the practice in highway engineering and better meet and balance the diverse needs of Vermont residents and communities.
“An enormous amount of our work is influenced by the Vermont State Standards,” said Vermont Transportation Secretary Sue Minter. “Updating these standards will help the work of the entire Agency be more efficient and more effective. The recommended revisions were informed by some of the most innovative transportation agencies in the country. This work program will help guide our design decisions as we face new challenges in the coming decades.”
VTrans and Smart Growth America developed the work program in the report through an extensive stakeholder process that brought together VTrans design and planning professionals with external partners and customers including businesses, municipalities, regional planning commissions, trucking, transit and active transportation advocates, and other state agencies. Smart Growth America facilitated the process and prepared the report, incorporating best practices in transportation design from around the country.
“VTrans has long been a national leader in innovative transportation design, and this work program demonstrates why,” said Roger Millar, Vice President of Smart Growth America. “The proposed modifications to the Vermont State Standards reflect the agency’s focus on balancing the safety and mobility needs of different travelers and designing projects that are sensitive to surrounding context. These modifications will help VTrans meet a variety of state needs, from supporting mobility for aging residents to improving the resilience and economic vitality of Vermont communities.”
VTrans and Smart Growth America will provide testimony on the report and work program today to the State House and Senate Transportation Committees, fulfilling the requirements of Section 26 of Act 167 (2014). Moving forward, VTrans will launch an initiative to revise the Vermont State Standards based on the recommendations in the report, continuing to rely on input from a broad stakeholder group.
Download the report: Revising the Vermont State Standards; M2D2: Multimodal Development and Delivery (PDF)