The Vermont Agency of Transportation engaged consultants to consider the feasibility of establishing passenger railroad services on the existing railroad rights-of-way between Charlotte and Burlington, Vermont and to develop the federally required Environmental Assessment. The passenger rail would be constructed to improve mobility in the corridor, alleviate growing traffic demands, and relieve congestion associated with the proposed construction activities on US Route 7, projected to last two years. This document outlines environmental consequences of the proposed project, passenger rail, and compares it to environmental consequences of the No-Build Alternative. The portion of Chittenden County that is the focus of this Environmental Assessment extends from Ferry Road in Charlotte to Main Street in Burlington and from Lake Champlain to the Hinesburg town line, Vermont Route 116, and Dorset Street. The study area is centered on U.S. Route 7, Shelburne Road, and is commonly referred to as the Shelburne Road Corridor. The Corridor includes the portions of Chittenden County encompassed by the towns of Charlotte, Shelburne, South Burlington and Burlington.

The intent of this Major Investment Study (MIS) is to provide the MPO, State AOT, transit operators, and other local decision-makers with comprehensive infonnation and analyses on a corridor level so that informed decisions regarding transportation investments can be made. In the transportation Corridor of US Route 7 between Charlotte and Burlington in Chittenden County, Vermont, there is a need to improve mobility. The transportation needs of the region have been the focus of many recent and historic studies and many projects to meet those needs have been posed as solutions.