Burlington, Vermont Mayor Miro Weinberger today was joined by Senator Patrick Leahy, Governor Peter Shumlin, other State and City officials, waterfront stakeholders, and community members to celebrate the opening of the northern waterfront.
The celebration marks the conclusion and ribbon-cutting of Waterfront Access North (WAN), the first major new waterfront public infrastructure investment since the creation of Waterfront Park in the early 1990s, and stands as a major step in the decades-long effort to reclaim the waterfront from its post-industrial history and convert it to modern use.
Further, the extension and improvement of Lake Street and public utilities will support new uses of the northern waterfront.
Construction of the WAN project began in August 2014 and includes the following key improvements:
Realignment, widening, and rebuilding of the decayed and disjointed section of the Burlington bike path immediately north of Waterfront Park to better accommodate path users and other activities on the northern waterfront:
- Creation of a new, world-class skatepark;
- Remediation of environmental issues related to the site’s historic industrial use;
- Undergrounding overhead power lines; and
- Implementation of stormwater measures to provide new environmental protections for Lake Champlain, including the creation of gravel wetlands.