Champlain Parkway Construction Update

A bright orange diamond-shaped sign reads "Road Work Ahead." Behind it, a tree with a full, dusty orange crown stands in front of the City Market store in the South End. The sky is grey-blue.

UPDATE 9/14/23: On Thursday, September 14, City Market’s Flynn Avenue entrance will be open for entering traffic only in the afternoon so that curbs can be installed. During this time, please exit City Market via our Briggs Street exit. Please follow the directions of any construction signs or flaggers and drive slowly and safely through the construction zone. Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this construction work together!
 

UPDATE 6/16/23: Beginning on Monday, June 19, we will once again see traffic reduced to one lane on Flynn Avenue. This lane closure will last for 4-6 weeks. During that time, we ask that customers and delivery traffic enter our parking lot through the Flynn Avenue entrance and exit through the Briggs Street gate. Drivers exiting through the Briggs Street gate should turn left to return to Flynn Avenue.  

On Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22, starting at 3PM, our Flynn Avenue entrance will be closed. The closing on each day will last for about half an hour. During these times, we ask that all visitors to our store use the Briggs Street gate for entry and exit. Please follow the directions of any construction signs or flaggers and drive slowly and safely through the construction zone.

Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this construction work together!
 

UPDATE 5/11/2023: Ongoing work on Briggs Street and Flynn Avenue continues to impact out South End Store. As this work proceeds, the Briggs Street gate will remain open unless we are unable to do so due to work on that street. Traffic on Flynn Avenue may also be intermittently reduced to one lane during construction hours. We appreciate your patience through this disruption.

UPDATE 3/22/2023: The City began work this week on sewer and water mains along Flynn Avenue. As a result, traffic on Flynn Avenue will be restricted to one lane during construction hours, which are 7am - 5pm Monday through Friday. Our South End Store entrance will be accessible and a traffic controller will help to direct traffic at our entrance. Additionally, due to these traffic impacts, we have received support from the City to open the Briggs Street gate. This means that the Briggs Street gate will be open for entry and exit on weekdays for the duration of the single-lane closures until further notice. The City expects this work to last until April 7.

UPDATE 1/9/2023: As construction impacts on Flynn Avenue have come to a close, we will be closing the Briggs gate until further notice. Thank you for your understanding!

If you have visited our South End Store in recent weeks, you will have noticed significant construction activity, especially along Flynn Avenue and Briggs Street. This work is part of the Champlain Parkway Project, a project designed to link our South End neighborhood with Downtown Burlington. 

Learn More about the Champlain Parkway Project

Two components of this construction will have an impact on our South End Store: planned blasting and planned periods of one-lane traffic on Flynn Avenue.

Blasting

UPDATE 11/7/22
As of 11/3/22, planned blasting work along Briggs Street has been completed. We do not anticipate any additional blasting activities. Thank you for your patience over these past few weeks! 

The Champlain Parkway Project will be conducting drilling and blasting activities to remove hard rock and ledge below the roadway surface. Blasting activities will take place along the roadway alignment for the Champlain Parkway east of Briggs Street between Flynn Avenue and Ferguson Avenue beginning Monday, October 17. Blasting events will be restricted to weekdays, Monday through Friday, for an estimated 2-4 weeks. Typically, there will be no more than two blasting events per day, one between 10 am and 11 am and one between 2 pm and 3 pm. Prior to a blasting event, vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic will be temporarily restricted from the blasting area, which includes our parking lot, for several minutes until the blasting is completed and a blasting specialist has cleared the area.

To comply with safety requirements, City Market will be implementing the following protocols during the blasting periods:

  • Our café will be closed from 10 am to 11 am and from 2 pm to 3 pm, Monday through Friday, until blasting work is done.
  • When blasting is imminent, we will close our entrances and exits. Our doors will remain closed for approximately 5-10 minutes while blasting occurs. We will open our doors once blasting is completed and the blasting specialist has cleared the area. During this time, if you are inside the store, you will need to remain inside the store for your own safety.
  • If you are in your car in our lot when you hear the blasting siren, you will need to come into our store until we receive the all-clear.

As always, the safety of our customers, our Members and our staff remains our highest priority. We will continue to monitor the situation and encourage you to visit the Champlain Parkway website to get the latest information on this project.

Flynn Avenue Traffic Impacts

UPDATE 3/22/2023: The City began work this week on sewer and water mains along Flynn Avenue. As a result, traffic on Flynn Avenue will be restricted to one lane during construction hours, which are 7am - 5pm Monday through Friday. Our South End Store entrance will be accessible and a traffic controller will help to direct traffic at our entrance. Additionally, due to these traffic impacts, we have received support from the City to open the Briggs Street gate. This means that the Briggs Street gate will be open for entry and exit on weekdays for the duration of the single-lane closures until further notice. The City expects this work to last until April 7.

UPDATE 1/9/2023: As construction impacts on Flynn Avenue have come to a close, we will be closing the Briggs gate until further notice. Thank you for your understanding!

UPDATE 11/7/22:
Beginning Wednesday, November 9, Flynn Avenue will be closed between Foster Street and Briggs Street. While this full road closure should last only until Friday, November 11, this section of Flynn Avenue will be restricted to one-lane traffic afterward for some time. Therefore, starting on Wednesday, November 9, we will be opening the gate on the south side of our parking lot. The gate will remain open for the foreseeable future. This will allow customers and vendors easier access to Home Avenue and create a better traffic flow on Flynn Avenue. 

Beginning Monday, October 10, we will see periods of one-lane traffic on Flynn Avenue between Foster Street and Briggs Street. When traffic is limited to one lane on that block, we will be opening the gate at the south side of our parking lot for exit-only traffic. This will allow customers and vendors leaving our store to proceed to Home Avenue and create a better traffic flow on Flynn Avenue. 

We are grateful to our South End neighbors, City Councilors, and the S.D. Ireland construction company for working with us to find a solution that supports our customers, Members, and neighbors during this phase of the Champlain Parkway Project. Thank you to everyone for bearing with us during this work!

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the gate at the south side of the parking lot be open all the time?

We will be opening the Briggs gate to customer traffic for both entry and exit during construction hours (7am - 5pm Monday through Friday) starting Tuesday, March 21 until further notice.

Can I enter the City Market parking lot through the gate when it is open?

Yes, the gate will be open to both entering and exiting traffic.

How will I know where to go if I exit through the gate?

We ask that all exiting customers turn left out of our gate and proceed to Flynn Avenue. As of May 30, Briggs Street no longer exits onto Home Avenue. Please follow the directions of any construction signs or flaggers and drive slowly and safely through the construction zone.

When will blasting occur?

As of 11/3/22, planned blasting work along Briggs Street has been completed. We do not anticipate any additional blasting activities. Thank you for your patience over these past few weeks!

How long will the construction last?

The Champlain Parkway Project is large and the timeline cannot be fully predicted. For the latest estimates, please visit their webpage.