The Act 250 permit approval for the Burlington Waterfront Park requires that a traffic study be completed to assess the conditions at the College Street railroad crossing. This study documents the summer of 1993 pedestrian and vehicular traffic counts as well as a five year projection of pedestrian and vehicular volumes at the crossing locations. The focus of the study is to evaluate the safety of the College Street railroad crossing.

The City of Burlington has a lively downtown with the picturesque University of Vermont at the top of the hill. A variety of pedestrian connections with sidewalks and alleyways exist between the University and the central business district. However, the central business district and its neighborhoods to the north are physically separated from the waterfront by a steep escarpment north of College Street. The purpose of this study is to begin to re-integrate the city with its waterfront through pedestrian connections.

The existing pedestrian routes within the City of Burlington have been characterized by traditional sidewalks, several alleyways, and the bikepath along the lake. Presently, there are several areas of conflict that exist on these different routes throughout the city. This study involved identifying these areas of conflict with recommended improvements as well as suggesting additional innerblock connections from the immediate central-business district to the waterfront.