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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Pittsfield's Christian Center Announces Community Day, 'Big News'
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— After collecting community input about a potential new name and programming opportunities, the Christian Center says it will make a big announcement this summer.
The nonprofit plans to unveil "big news" during its annual Community Day on Aug. 22, Executive Director Jessica Jones told the Homelessness Advisory Committee on Wednesday.
To accommodate different work schedules, Monday through Friday pantry hours were extended to include the second and fourth Saturday of every month; the pantry and lunch open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Having some Saturday availability, we're hoping, is going to be helpful for those whose work schedules don't allow for weekday visits to the pantry," Jones said.
"And we also know that more and more working people are having to make tough decisions about whether or not they spend their money on food or gas or rent or any of the other things that they have to make decisions about."
HAC Chair Kim Borden said the Saturday hours are very exciting.
"And I love your thinking on that, because you're right, limited hours when folks are working and picking up kiddos from daycare, there isn't always enough time," she added.
The Christian Center was incorporated in 1974, but it dates back to the early 1890s, when it was the Epworth Mission, founded by the Methodist Church.
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