Vermont Route 127
Encyclopedia
Vermont Route 127 is a state highway
in Chittenden County, Vermont
, United States
. It currently exists in two segments: a signed, locally-maintained portion in the city of Burlington
and the town of Colchester
, and an unsigned, state-maintained portion within the town of Colchester. The southern terminus of the signed segment is at Pearl Street in downtown Burlington. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 7 in Colchester. The unsigned segment is little more than the southern leg of a wye
connection between US 2 / US 7 and VT 2A.
VT 127 was assigned in the early 1940s as a loop route
off US 2 and US 7 through Burlington and southern Colchester, where it ended at the junction of Bay Road and US 2 / US 7. It was extended slightly eastward to VT 2A in 1950. The majority of the route in Burlington was moved onto a new limited-access highway—named the Winooski Valley Parkway and also known as the Burlington Beltline—in the 1970s and 1980s. A later realignment in Colchester moved the signed northern terminus of VT 127 to the junction of Blakely/Severance Road and US 2 / US 7; however, the portion of VT 127 added in 1950 was left unchanged. As a result, the route now exists in two segments.
. The route heads north as a one-way couplet along North Champlain Street (northbound) and Park Street (southbound) through the Old North End of the city to Manhattan Drive. VT 127 northbound follows Manhattan Drive for one block west to Park Street, where both directions of VT 127 come together and turn onto a two-lane limited-access highway named the Winooski Valley Parkway and locally known as the Burlington Beltline. The route has one interchange with North Avenue and another with Plattsburgh Avenue, before reverting to an at-grade highway at the Winooski River
.
Now in Colchester
, VT 127 heads north along Heineberg Drive and Prim Road to West Lakeshore Drive. It then travels east along the shoreline of Malletts Bay to Blakely Road, where it continues eastward onto Blakely to its northern terminus, as signed, at US 2 and US 7. However, another segment of VT 127 exists farther north in Colchester as the southern leg of the wye connection between US 2 / US 7 and VT 2A. This part of VT 127 is not signed as such; it is marked as "To VT 2A" from northbound US 2 and US 7 and "To VT 127" from northbound VT 2A.
off U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 7 between the city of Burlington
and the village
of Colchester
by way of the Burlington Bay
and Malletts Bay shorelines. A short, 0.147 mile (0.23657298 km) long highway between US 2 / US 7 and VT 2A was added to the state highway system in 1950 as an extension of VT 127.
VT 127 originally began at the junction of Pearl Street and Winooski Avenue in Burlington and followed Pearl Street, North Avenue, and Plattsburg Avenue through the city. A new limited-access highway, named the Burlington Beltline, was built ca. 1971 between Manhattan Drive and North Avenue near the Ethan Allen
Homestead. It was added to the state highway system in 1971 as a realignment of VT 127. The route now left Pearl Street at Park Street and followed Park north to the southern end of the new highway. Ownership and maintenance of the Burlington Beltline was transferred to the city of Burlington in 1980. An extension of the Beltline northwest to the Winooski River
opened to traffic as part of VT 127 in the mid-1980s. VT 127 was later truncated to the junction of Pearl and Park Streets.
In Colchester, VT 127 was initially routed on Heineberg Drive, Porters Point Road, Church Road, Lakeshore Drive, and Bay Road. The route was realigned through the town between 1982 and 2005 to follow Prim Road, a northward continuation of Heineberg Drive, to Lakeshore Drive, and to follow Blakely Road to US 2 and US 7, bypassing East Lakeshore Drive and Bay Road. The latter realignment severed the locally maintained portion of VT 127 from the state-maintained section to the north; however, the latter is still designated, though not signed, as part of VT 127.
. The 0.37 mile (0.5954558 km) long route is comprised solely of the interchange between the two highways.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in Chittenden County, Vermont
Chittenden County, Vermont
Chittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 156,545. Its shire town is Burlington. Chittenden is the most populous county in the state, with more than twice as many residents as Vermont's second-most populous county, Rutland.Chittenden County...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It currently exists in two segments: a signed, locally-maintained portion in the city of Burlington
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
and the town of Colchester
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
, and an unsigned, state-maintained portion within the town of Colchester. The southern terminus of the signed segment is at Pearl Street in downtown Burlington. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 7 in Colchester. The unsigned segment is little more than the southern leg of a wye
Wye
Wye is a historic village in Kent, England, located some from Canterbury, and is also the main village in the civil parish of Wye with Hinxhill...
connection between US 2 / US 7 and VT 2A.
VT 127 was assigned in the early 1940s as a loop route
Loop route
A loop route is a highway or other major road that extends out from a typically longer, more important parents road to enter and circle a large city. A loop can function as a bypass for through traffic and also to service outlying suburbs....
off US 2 and US 7 through Burlington and southern Colchester, where it ended at the junction of Bay Road and US 2 / US 7. It was extended slightly eastward to VT 2A in 1950. The majority of the route in Burlington was moved onto a new limited-access highway—named the Winooski Valley Parkway and also known as the Burlington Beltline—in the 1970s and 1980s. A later realignment in Colchester moved the signed northern terminus of VT 127 to the junction of Blakely/Severance Road and US 2 / US 7; however, the portion of VT 127 added in 1950 was left unchanged. As a result, the route now exists in two segments.
Route description
VT 127 begins at Pearl Street in the city of BurlingtonBurlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
. The route heads north as a one-way couplet along North Champlain Street (northbound) and Park Street (southbound) through the Old North End of the city to Manhattan Drive. VT 127 northbound follows Manhattan Drive for one block west to Park Street, where both directions of VT 127 come together and turn onto a two-lane limited-access highway named the Winooski Valley Parkway and locally known as the Burlington Beltline. The route has one interchange with North Avenue and another with Plattsburgh Avenue, before reverting to an at-grade highway at the Winooski River
Winooski River
The Winooski River is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from Lake Champlain through the Green Mountains towards the Connecticut...
.
Now in Colchester
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
, VT 127 heads north along Heineberg Drive and Prim Road to West Lakeshore Drive. It then travels east along the shoreline of Malletts Bay to Blakely Road, where it continues eastward onto Blakely to its northern terminus, as signed, at US 2 and US 7. However, another segment of VT 127 exists farther north in Colchester as the southern leg of the wye connection between US 2 / US 7 and VT 2A. This part of VT 127 is not signed as such; it is marked as "To VT 2A" from northbound US 2 and US 7 and "To VT 127" from northbound VT 2A.
History
VT 127 was assigned in the early 1940s as a loop routeLoop route
A loop route is a highway or other major road that extends out from a typically longer, more important parents road to enter and circle a large city. A loop can function as a bypass for through traffic and also to service outlying suburbs....
off U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 7 between the city of Burlington
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
and the village
Village (Vermont)
In the U.S. state of Vermont, villages are named communities located within the boundaries of an incorporated town. Villages may be incorporated or unincorporated....
of Colchester
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
by way of the Burlington Bay
Burlington Bay
Burlington Bay, known more commonly as Hamilton Harbour, lies on the western tip of Lake Ontario, bounded on the northwest by the City of Burlington, on the south by the City of Hamilton, and on the east by Hamilton Beach and Burlington Beach...
and Malletts Bay shorelines. A short, 0.147 mile (0.23657298 km) long highway between US 2 / US 7 and VT 2A was added to the state highway system in 1950 as an extension of VT 127.
VT 127 originally began at the junction of Pearl Street and Winooski Avenue in Burlington and followed Pearl Street, North Avenue, and Plattsburg Avenue through the city. A new limited-access highway, named the Burlington Beltline, was built ca. 1971 between Manhattan Drive and North Avenue near the Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
Homestead. It was added to the state highway system in 1971 as a realignment of VT 127. The route now left Pearl Street at Park Street and followed Park north to the southern end of the new highway. Ownership and maintenance of the Burlington Beltline was transferred to the city of Burlington in 1980. An extension of the Beltline northwest to the Winooski River
Winooski River
The Winooski River is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from Lake Champlain through the Green Mountains towards the Connecticut...
opened to traffic as part of VT 127 in the mid-1980s. VT 127 was later truncated to the junction of Pearl and Park Streets.
In Colchester, VT 127 was initially routed on Heineberg Drive, Porters Point Road, Church Road, Lakeshore Drive, and Bay Road. The route was realigned through the town between 1982 and 2005 to follow Prim Road, a northward continuation of Heineberg Drive, to Lakeshore Drive, and to follow Blakely Road to US 2 and US 7, bypassing East Lakeshore Drive and Bay Road. The latter realignment severed the locally maintained portion of VT 127 from the state-maintained section to the north; however, the latter is still designated, though not signed, as part of VT 127.
VT 127 Connector
Vermont Route 127 Connector is an unsigned connector route between VT 127 and North Avenue in northern BurlingtonBurlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
. The 0.37 mile (0.5954558 km) long route is comprised solely of the interchange between the two highways.