On July 27, 2022, Vermont‘s governor, Phil Scott, along with the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced awards of over $2 million in Downtown Transportation Fund (DTF) grants to support 15 community redevelopment and revitalization projects in Designated Downtowns and eligible Designated Village Centers.
“The recent revitalization work in St. Johnsbury, Waterbury and Bennington through Downtown Transportation Fund grants has shown that increased public investment in downtowns attracts private investments, strengthens local economies, and improves the quality of life for its residents and visitors,” said Governor Scott.
“Efforts like this are critical components of our work to grow the economy in all 14 counties,” he added.
Since 1999, the Department of Housing and Community Development has been supporting investment in public infrastructure through the DTF.
The program has helped update streetscaping, parking, rail, and bus facilities, bicycle and pedestrian safety, utilities, street lighting, and wayfinding signage.
This round of awarded projects ranges from making urgent repairs to a train station and connecting rail-trails for multiuse recreation to replacing traffic and pedestrian signals to improve safety and pedestrian experience.
These grants continue to help Vermont’s communities to invest in infrastructure to make downtowns and village centers pedestrian, bike, and transit friendly.
“We were excited to have the opportunity to expand eligibility to our smaller Designated Village Centers this year with the increase in funding,” said Department of Housing and Community Development Commissioner Josh Hanford.
“A little funding can go a long way to making our downtowns and village centers attractive, safer, and more accessible to all,” he concluded.
In 2021 the program received a one-time $5M increase and opened eligibility to qualified Designated Village Centers.
“Transportation infrastructure improvements can have profound positive effects on communities and the quality of life of individual Vermonters by offering more alternatives and enabling more active lifestyles,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn.
Since its inception in 1999, the program has invested over $13 million to support 151 projects in 32 different communities leveraging over $54 million in additional funding.
Photo of Christmas in downtown Burlington, Vermont pedestrian mall by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay.
Learn more about the Downtown Transportation Fund grants and 2022 grant award winners.