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U.S. SENATOR PATRICK
LEAHY
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CONTACT: Office of Senator
Leahy, 202-224-4242 |
VERMONT |
Leahy
Secures $2 Million
For Route 2 Improvements In
Danville
…Unique Partnership With
Arts Council Made Project Possible
(WEDNESDAY, Dec. 1) – Sen.
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Wednesday that he has secured nearly $2
million in the 2005 federal transportation budget bill for road
improvements to U.S. Route 2 through Danville. Leahy, a senior member of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, which handles the Senate’s work in
writing federal budget bills, included the Route 2 funds in an
appropriations package approved by Congress before the Thanksgiving
holiday.
The
Danville project is a unique
partnership between the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), the
Vermont Arts Council and the Town of Danville to revitalize and recapture
the essence of the town while upgrading U.S. Route 2 through the heart of
Danville, Leahy said. The Arts Council became involved in the project in
2000, breaking a quarter-century stalemate between VTrans and Danville
officials about improvements to Route 2 through Danville. The Arts Council
involved artists in the design process to help the town retain its unique
character within the context of a large public works project, Leahy said.
Since 2000, the partnership has
achieved nearly all of the goals set for the project with a sizable savings
in time, legal challenges and dollars, Leahy said. Consensus on the design
elements was reached in 2002, and all of the partners are now trying to
find ways to fund the nearly $7 million in plans so that construction can
begin as early as 2007.
“These road and streetscape
improvements are an essential step in improving traffic safety along Route
2 in
Danville,” said Leahy. “Thanks to community leaders in Danville, officials
at VTrans and the Vermont Arts Council, Danville will get a safer, more
efficient road that respects Danville’s history and its future. This
partnership and what it has achieved can be a model in Vermont for how to
coordinate transportation upgrades and community development.”
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