Vermont Route 279

Vermont Route 279
Bennington Bypass
Route information
Maintained by VTrans
Length:	3.945 mi[2] (6.349 km)
Existed:	2004[1] – present
Major junctions
West end:	NY 7 via NY 915G in Hoosick, NY
	VT 67A in Bennington
East end:	US 7 in Bennington
Location
Counties:	Bennington
Highway system
State highways in Vermont ← VT 253 VT 289 →

Vermont Route 279 (VT 279), often referred to as the Bennington Bypass, is a two and three-lane undivided northwest bypass of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The western terminus of the route is at the New York state line, where the route continues to New York State Route 7 (NY 7) in Hoosick, New York, as New York State Route 915G, an unsigned reference route. The current eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 7 (US 7) north of Bennington; however, construction is underway on an extension to VT 9 east of the city.

Although VT 279 officially opened to traffic in 2004, portions of the route have been open in some capacity since the 1970s.

Route description

VT 279 begins at the New York–Vermont state line, where the road continues west to NY 7 in Hoosick, New York, as NY 915G, an reference route signed as "To VT 279" eastbound and "To NY 7" westbound. VT 279 heads northeast as a three-lane roadway through rural northwest Bennington, bypassing William H. Morse State Airport to the north. Continuing east, the bypass passes over a pair of local roadways before interchanging with VT 67A at a parclo interchange north of downtown Bennington. Past VT 67A, VT 279 widens to four lanes and becomes a divided highway as it passes over VT 7A and terminates at a complex interchange with US 7.

History

The four-lane portion of VT 279 between VT 67A and US 7 was built in the early 1970s^[3] and designated VT 67A Connector in 1974.^[4] However, construction did not begin on the remainder of the route west of VT 67A (including the short continuation into Hoosick, New York) until the early 2000s.^[3] Work on the bypass concluded with the opening of Route 279 on October 12, 2004.^[1] The number "279" was chosen because it provides a bypass for both US 7 and VT 9.^[5]

Future

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has plans to extend the Bennington Bypass (VT 279) around the east side of town across Route 9 and back to US 7 south of the city. Construction on the segment between US 7 and VT 9, a two-lane roadway similar to that constructed between Hoosick and Bennington, began in July 2007.^[6] The remainder of the bypass from VT 9 to US 7 southeast of Bennington is in the design stage.^[7]

Current construction plans for the northern segment call for the existing interchange between US 7 and VT 279 to be reconfigured to accommodate a welcome center located within the exit. On the opposite end, the exit with VT 9 will be a single-point urban interchange (SPUI); however, only the northern half will be built as part of the project. There are no plans to construct intermediate interchanges between US 7 and VT 9.^[6]

Exit list

This list includes VT 279's continuation into New York as NY 915G. All exits are unnumbered.

County	Location	Mile[2][8]	Destinations	Notes
Rensselaer	Hoosick	0.00	NY 7	At-grade intersection
		1.19 0.000	New York–Vermont state line; roadway becomes VT 279 eastbound and NY 915G westbound
Bennington	Bennington
		3.012	VT 67A to VT 7A – Bennington, North Bennington	Parclo interchange
		3.800	US 7 south – Bennington
		3.945	US 7 north – Manchester, Rutland
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Western Leg of Bypass Will Open Tuesday" (Press release). Office of the Governor. October 8, 2004. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923070432/http://www.vermont.gov/tools/whatsnew2/index.php?topic=GovPressReleases&id=949&v=Article. Retrieved December 23, 2007. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "2006 (Route Log) AADTs - State Highways" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation. June 2007. http://www.aot.state.vt.us/Planning/Documents/TrafResearch/Publications/2006%20Route%20Log%20AADTs%20State%20Highways-Final.pdf. Retrieved December 23, 2007. 
3. ^ ^{a b} National Bridge Inventory, a database compiled by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, available at www.nationalbridges.com. Accessed December 24, 2007.
4. ^ "State Highways History - Route Listing, Exclusive of Interstates with Route Log Notes" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation, Policy and Planning Division - Mapping. October 5, 2007. http://www.aot.state.vt.us/Planning/Documents/Mapping/Publications/History_RtLogNotes.pdf. Retrieved December 24, 2007. 
5. ^ Gates, Bobby (April 9, 2003). "The Bennington Bypass acquires a new name: Route 279". Bennington Banner. http://groups.google.com/group/misc.transport.road/browse_thread/thread/76bbacdaf869bf5e/19f859c59c785429?lnk=st&q=%22route+279%22+bennington&rnum=1&hl=en#19f859c59c785429. Retrieved March 31, 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Vermont Agency of Transportation. "VTrans Projects - Bennington Bypass (Northern Segment)". http://www.aot.state.vt.us/progdev/Sections/Design/bennBypass/NorthernSegment.htm. Retrieved December 24, 2007. 
7. ^ Vermont Agency of Transportation. "VTrans Projects - Bennington Bypass (Southern Segment)". http://www.aot.state.vt.us/progdev/Sections/Design/bennBypass/SouthernSegment.htm. Retrieved December 24, 2007. 
8. ^ "2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 265. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT%20TVR%202008%20by%20Route.pdf. Retrieved January 31, 2010. 

External links

• VT 279 at Alps' Roads