Worries were voiced about traffic and how the community would look after said improvements, but all involved seemed in relatively good spirits while discussing the project and the possible artwork involved. Allow me to fill in the gaps on this project's history. 2 is a major trucking route, and improvements would make travel between the two cities easier and might increase land value. The project was blocked by lawsuits over environmental concerns, possible harm to the several downtowns Route 2 runs through on its way to Montpelier, relocation problems, etc. I myself live on Route 2, out in Essex County, and can honestly say it's a scary road.
Accidents seem to be a common occurrence.
Driving to Montpelier in the winter is a nightmare thanks to the poor road conditions, numerous twists and turns, and constant speed changes. Please include your town and full name so your comments can go into next week's Streetmail. Plenty of people have pointed to the boom economy of the 90's as a major factor in the current political climate. It seems, however, that most feel that boom never made it to the Northeast Kingdom and we've been shrinking economically while the rest of the nation has been growing. In a misguided effort to 'preserve' local businesses, Wal-Mart was sent packing to Littleton, which appears to be booming.