Vermont’s First Diverging Diamond Interchange

9/12/2025

Construction Update - Friday, September 12, 2025

TRAFFIC IMPACT AND DURATION: From Sunday, September 14, through Friday, September 19, between the hours of 7 PM and 6 AM, crews will be working on U.S. 2/7 near the Highpoint Center driveway under lane closures and lane reductions. One lane will be maintained in each direction along U.S. 2/7 under traffic shifts. The entrance to Highpoint Center across from South Park Drive will be closed during nighttime hours (7 PM – 6 AM), reopening each morning. Access will be maintained via the southern driveway.

From Monday, September 15, through Friday, September 19, between 6 AM and 3 PM, crews will be working along U.S. 2/7 between South Park Drive and Mountain View Drive under lane closures and lane reductions. Lane width reductions may be in place along the Interstate 89 (I-89) southbound on-ramp. The on-ramp will remain open.

Motorists should expect significant delays when traveling through the work zone and along adjacent roadways. Please plan ahead, leaving plenty of additional time to get to and from your destination. Whenever possible, consider alternate routes or other forms of transportation such as carpooling, ridesharing, transit, biking, or walking. Drivers should slow down, use caution, and follow flaggers and road signs.

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES: During the nighttime hours, crews will be installing drainage infrastructure along U.S. 2/7 near the Highpoint Center driveway. During the daytime hours, crews will begin mobilizing construction equipment to the site. The installation of erosion prevention and sediment control systems throughout the project area will take place early next week. Mid-week, construction of the stormwater retention pond near the I-89 southbound on-ramp will begin.

9/5/2025

Construction Update - Friday, September 5, 2025

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Major construction activities to begin on the Exit 16 Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) Project on Sunday, September 14, at 7 PM. Construction activities will take place during nighttime hours (7 PM to 6 AM), Sunday through Friday, and during daytime hours (6 AM to 3 PM), Monday through Friday.

Work throughout the fall will focus on traffic signal work at the intersection of Tigan Street and Main Street in Winooski (U.S. Routes 2/7), ledge removal to widen U.S. 2/7 (including drilling and blasting), and the construction of new drainage and stormwater infrastructure.

Motorists should expect significant delays when traveling through the work zone and along adjacent roadways. Please plan ahead, leaving plenty of additional time to get to and from your destination. Whenever possible, consider alternate routes or other forms of transportation such as carpooling, ridesharing, transit, biking, or walking.

TRAFFIC IMPACT AND DURATION: From Sunday, September 14, through Friday, September 19, between the hours of 7 PM and 6 AM, crews will be working on U.S. 2/7 near the Highpoint Center driveway under lane closures and lane reductions. This work may require lane closures within the Highpoint Center driveway. Access will be maintained.

From Monday, September 15, through Friday, September 19, between 6 AM and 3 PM, crews will be working on U.S. 2/7 between South Park Drive and Mountain View Drive under lane closures and lane reductions.

Motorists should expect significant delays and are encouraged to seek alternate routes or plan extra travel time. Drivers should slow down, use caution, and follow flaggers and road signs.

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES: Crews will begin removing ledge and preparing for future blasting operations along U.S. 2/7 near Mountain View Drive and begin installing drainage and stormwater infrastructure along U.S. 2/7 between South Park Drive and Mountain View Drive.

8/26/2025

Project Update

Starting this Week, Contractor On-Site Presence on the Exit 16 Diverging Diamond Interchange Project

DATE: Tuesday, August 26, 2025

The contractor, S.D. Ireland, plans to begin mobilizing to the project area as early as this week. Crews may start installing construction signage throughout the project limits this week into next in preparation for the start of major construction activities. Sign installation will occur predominantly outside the roadway; however, temporary shoulder or lane closures may be necessary on U.S. Route 2/7 (U.S. 2/7) north of Sunderland Woods Road and south of the Colchester/Winooski town line.

Major construction activities are not expected to begin until after Labor Day, as early as mid-September. The project team will have more information regarding the official start date and anticipated traffic impacts of major construction activities after the baseline construction schedule and traffic control plan have been approved. Additional project updates will be issued in the upcoming weeks.

Stay Informed

The project team will provide additional project updates in the coming weeks as the start of construction approaches. Throughout construction, weekly Construction Updates and supplemental Traffic Alerts will be issued. Want to join our email list to receive future project updates? Send us an email!

8/26/2025

Phase 2 Construction

DATE: Tuesday, August 26, 2025

The Vermont Agency of Transportation is improving the roadway along the U.S. Route 2/7 (U.S. 2/7) corridor, in the vicinity of Interstate 89 (I-89) Exit 16, to enhance mobility and safety in Colchester, Vermont. The core of the project is to reconfigure the existing tight diamond interchange into a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) at I-89 Exit 16. Phase 2 construction will begin this fall and be completed in the summer of 2027. This phase will focus on roadway construction, including:

• the installation of the DDI,
• adding turn lanes at the Mountain View Drive, Hercules Drive, and Rathe Road intersections,
• modernizing traffic signals at South Park Drive, the I-89 Exit 16 Interchange, Mountain View Drive, Hercules Drive, Rathe Road, and Tigan Street, and,
• further enhancing pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.