BENNINGTON, Vt. — The score for the Bennington Bypass project is one-third down, two-thirds to go.
The Oct. 13 opening of the roughly $56 million western section means traffic can exit Route 7 in Hoosick, N.Y., drive onto the new Vermont Route 279 (also named World War II Veteran's Memorial Highway) and connect to Route 67A in Shaftsbury. The move shifts traffic — primarily unwanted heavy trucks — away from downtown Bennington, easing some congestion on town streets.
But the project won't be finished until the northern and southern sections are completed, and the process will take lots of time and money.
Construction of a northern bypass section has a planned start date of 2007, and an estimated cost of about $99 million, said state Sen. Richard W. Sears Jr. The planned road would allow traffic to leave Route 9, west of the Woodford town line, and connect to Route 7, north of the downtown area.
The southern section is designed to connect to the northern portion and skirt the downtown area. Travelers would exit onto Route 7 north of the Pownal town line, according to published maps. The estimated southern section cost is about $47 million.
Sears said state legislators have approved some southern section funding to acquire necessary rights-of-way. The trick will be acquiring full funding for the northern segment and avoiding a piecemeal revenue stream, he said. Funding hopes are focused on U.S. Sens. Patrick Lahey, a Democrat, and James Jeffords, an Independent, and their ability to secure federal transportation dollars, Sears said.
He supports using specific bonds that states can access in anticipation of federal revenues.
"If we look at completing this on a pay-as-you go basis, it could take years and years," he said.
He acknowledged that if the bonds were used to pay for the project and federal money failed to materialize, the state would be responsible for repayment. But the question isn't whether federal transportation funds exist, it's how much will be available and how it is allocated, he said. Competition for funds can be fierce.
"One of the battles going on right now is between Congress and the president over transportation funds," Sears said.
He said he'd like to see the northern section start date moved forward. Sears and Bennington Town Manager Stuart Hurd said that while trucks coming from the Albany area are using the western bypass, trucks coming from Brattleboro and other eastern locales must still pass through the downtown.
"I'd like to see that start date moved up, if possible," Sears said. "The timeline between the western section and the northern leg is what is pressing the legislators now."
Downtown improvements bode well for the town, he said, and alleviating unnecessary traffic would enhance tourist travel.
"We want Bennington to be a destination point," he said. "We have a lot to offer in Bennington."
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Air Quality Alert Issued for Berkshire County
Staff reports
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The state's on an air quality alert through midnight Thursday because of the smoke from wildfires in Canada.
Berkshire residents woke up to smoky, hazy skies and a red glowing sun on Wednesday morning, but with less oppressive heat.
The Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert for elevated levels of fine particles (PM2.5). This refers to microscopic airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter — about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the size of these particles can cause serious health problems because they can get deep into your lungs and even into bloodstreams. Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest risk to health.
The air quality statewide is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. These include people with heart or lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, and people who are active outdoors. People with either lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to air pollution.
MassDEP advises people in sensitive groups to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks, do less intense activities, follow asthma action plans, and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
EPA's air quality index rates levels from "good" at 0-50 and "very unhealthy" from 201 to 300. Residents of Williamstown can track the AQI through PurpleAir, which displays results from monitors in five sections of town.
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