The Challenge

  • Replace old rail bridges with a tunnel
  • Historical structures located nearby that could become damaged during construction

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) in collaboration with the Town of Middlebury replaced two almost 100-year old rail bridges with a tunnel. The two bridges were about 300 ft apart and were disassembled and removed as the tunnel excavation took place. The project was in busy downtown Middlebury, VT with many local businesses and historical structures located nearby. Replacing the rail bridges with a tunnel changed the town landscape by overlaying the depressed, walled rail bed that cuts through the town with green space connecting with other existing green space.