The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is preparing a Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Study to evaluate transportation alternatives to reduce the impacts of large trucks on VT Route 22A in Downtown Vergennes, while also enhancing the quality of life and economic vitality for residents in the City and surrounding towns. The PEL study will build off previous planning efforts completed over the last twenty-five years that considered alternatives at different levels of detail. One of the primary outcomes will be the identification of transportation alternatives that may move forward for evaluation in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when federal funds are used. The Vergennes PEL study will also include an implementation plan. Another important outcome will be coordination of transportation alternatives with local land use planning,
PEL, created by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provide a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision making that considers benefits and impacts of proposed transportation system improvements to the environment, community, and economy during the transportation planning process. The Vergennes PEL study includes robust public engagement and will improve the efficiency of the EIS process by identifying a short list of alternatives and through the early identification of the significant environmental impacts that require detailed analyses in the EIS.