Interstate 189 Vermont
Overview
Interstate 189 is the lone branch route for I-89. The freeway spur connects U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) with Interstate 89, Dorsett Street and Kennedy Drive north to Burlington International Airport (BTV).
History
The Vermont Department of Highways initially suggested to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on April 15, 1958 that the spur into Burlington be numbered SP 89. A map sent to AASHO showed a spur drawn west from I-89 near Patchen Road west to U.S. 2/7 (Riverside Avenue) near the Winooski River. A subsequent letter to AASHO on April 18, 1958 suggested that the spur be unnumbered:
For route numbering purposes, so far as motorists are concerned, we do not think it should have a separate number. Traffic destined for the interstate should be guided by trail blazer assemblies, while traffic leaving the interstate would follow guide signs into the city. We realize, of course, that a somewhat different situation would exist in connection with loops and through routes.
Per instructions from AASHO, Vermont submitted Interstate 189 as the proposed numbering on August 29, 1958. AASHO approved it on November 10, 1958.
Interstate 189 opened to traffic from I-89 west to U.S. 7 on November 29, 1962. The freeway was originally planned to connect with the Burlington Belt Line Highway as part of the 1965 Greater Burlington Urban Area Highway Plan. Serving industrial areas and Downtown Burlington, the Belt Line was proposed south from Burlington to U.S. 7 and north along the Lake Champlain waterfront. Northern reaches of the expressway extended along Winooksi Valley Parkway (Vermont 127) toward the Colchester town line. Despite right of way acquisition already made, plans for the expressway succumbed to adamant neighborhood opposition and a resurgence in the city economy. They were subsequently cancelled.
Route Information
East End – South Burlington, VT
West End – Burlington, VT
Mileage – 1.49
Cities – Burlington, South Burlington
- Junctions –
Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
I-189 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
| Location | Vehicles per day |
|---|---|
| US 7 to I-89 | 33,927 |
Source: 2019 (Route Log) AADTs – Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Southern Connector
The Southern Connector was proposed as a four lane boulevard by a consultant for the city of Burlington in 1974. Generally following the former Belt Line route north from I-189 and U.S. 7 to Pine Street at Flynn Avenue, the Southern Connector also outlined expanding Pine Street north to Pine Place, where it would shift northwest to connect with Battery Street in the Central Business District.1
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared for the Southern Connector starting in 1976. Subsurface geotechnical borings in the vicinity of the Pine Street Barge Canal recorded in the 1977 DEIS revealed soil contaminated with oil along the projected right of way. Coal gasification waste was also recorded during project development. The Pine Street Barge Canal area was subsequently included in the Environnmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites. It was identified as the Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund Site in October 1981.1
The Final EIS (FEIS) for the Southern Connector was completed in July 1979 and approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Selected Alternative included a half mile long segment of roadway (Section C-1). Section C-1 was constructed in the late 1980s northwest from the I-189/U.S. 7 exchange across Pine Street to Home Avenue in the South End neighborhood of Burlington. Work on Section C-2 (Home Avenue to Lakeside Avenue) and C-8 (Lakeside Avenue to Battery Street) never broke ground due to the Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund Site.1
Studies in the late 1980s looked at route alternatives that would bypass the Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund Site. The project was rebranded Champlain Parkway by Burlington City Council in the 1990s. A Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) was conducted by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and FHWA from January 1995 to February 1997. It selected a preferred interim alternative that avoided the superfund site. FHWA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Selected Alternative in August 1997.1
Envisioned to provide traffic relief between the City Center District (CCD) and South Burlington, construction on Champlain Parkway was pushed back from a potential late 2019 start date while a Limited Scope Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (LS DSEIS) was completed. FHWA eventually issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the project on January 20, 2022. Burlington City Council approved construction contract award on April 15, 2022. 95% of the funding for the $45 million project is covered by the federal government with another 3% by the state of Vermont. The city will cover the rest.3
The two lane, at-grade roadway will run north from Home Avenue over Batchelder and Briggs Streets to Flynn Avenue, then follow a new terrain alignment to Lakeside Avenue.2 The first phase of construction is anticipated to run from July 2022 to 2024. It makes improvements between Home Avenue and Kilburn Street. Planned for 2025 through 2027, the second phase falls within the South End Construction Coordination Plan.3
Highway Guides
East End / Dorset St and Kennedy Dr – South Burlington, Vermont
East at
Interstate 189 concludes eastbound at a modified trumpet interchange with I-89 in three quarters of a mile. Photo by Peter Johnson (09/24/19).
I-189 separates in three ramps at the exchange with Interstate 89. The southbound exit leads to the suburb of Williston located along U.S. 2. The capital city of Montpelier lies 37 miles to the southeast along the Winooski River. 10/07/14
A left exit joins I-189 east with Interstate 89 north to the city of Winooski, St. Albans and Montreal, Quebec via Autoroute 35. Photo by Peter Johnson (09/24/19).
Kennedy Drive extends east from the freeway end at Dorsett Street to Burlington International Airport (BTV). Dorsett Street parallels I-89 north to University Mall and U.S. 2 (Williston Road) in South Burlington. 10/07/14
South at
I-89 advances south from a cloverleaf interchange (Exit 14) with U.S. 2 (Main Street) to Interstate 189 at Exit 13. I-189 west to U.S. 7 leads to the suburb of Shelburne, Middlebury and Rutland. 10/10/14
Exit 13 leaves I-89 south for I-189 west in South Burlington. U.S. 7 travels 19 miles south to VT 22A outside the city of Vergennes. VT 22A represents the first leg of a route to Upstate New York via the Lake Champlain Bridge at Crown Point. 10/07/14
North at Throwback
I-89 travels westward across the Williston and the city of South Burlington to the exchange (Exit 13) with I-189. The one mile sign for Exit 13 was relocated to a point west of the VT 116 (Hinesburg Road) overpass. 07/22/05
I-89 makes a gradual northern turn toward the city of Burlington to I-189 at Exit 13. Interstate 189 provides a direct connection to U.S. 7 south to Middlebury and Vergennes. 07/22/05
Exit 13 loops onto I-189 west from Kennedy Drive. I-189 west to U.S. 7 (Shelburne Street) leads motorists north to the Burlington CBD. Champlain Parkway will provide a more direct route to Downtown when it is completed. 07/22/05
West End 
– Burlington, Vermont
West at
A wide median separates the roadways of Interstate 189 leading away from I-89 and Kennedy Drive. There are no exits westbound ahead of the ramp to U.S. 7 (Shelbourne Street). 10/06/14
Interstate 189 converges with U.S. 7 at a parclo interchange in 0.75 miles. U.S. 7 joins the Burlington area with Vergennes, where VT 22A branches southwest toward the Lake Champlain Bridge, and Rutland, Vermont’s second largest city. 10/10/14
All traffic shifts from the freeway mainline onto the exit ramp for U.S. 7 (Shelburne Street). Three of the six ramps at the exchange are closed, as they were built for the unopened Southern Connector. 10/10/14
U.S. 7 constitutes a four lane commercial boulevard south from Burlington to the town of Shelbourne. 10/10/14
North at
The second in a series of overheads for the upcoming exchange joining U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road) north with Interstate 189 east. 07/22/05
Two lanes depart from U.S. 7 north for Interstate 189 east to I-89 and Kennedy Drive in South Burlington. 10/07/14
South at
U.S. 7 (Shelburne Street) passes between a pair of retail plazas from Home Avenue south to the parclo interchange with Interstate 189 east. 08/03/07
An unopened entrance ramp separates from U.S. 7 south ahead of the I-189 underpass. This ramp and other unopened connections will eventually link with Champlain Parkway from the South End neighborhood. 10/10/14
A loop ramp lowers from U.S. 7 south to Interstate 189 east for I-89 to Montpelier and St. Albans and Kennedy Drive east to Burlington International Airport (BTV). 10/06/14
Sources:
- Champlain Parkway – Project History. City of Burlington, project web site.
- “Champlain Parkway construction could begin this year.” WCAX (Burlington, VT), January 5, 2019.
- “After 35 Years of Project Limbo, Administration Secures Unanimous Council Support to Execute $45 Million Champlain Parkway Construction Contract.” City of Burlington, press release. April 25, 2022.
Page updated May 29, 2022.
