WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Transportation officials are hoping to clear one last hurdle holding up the long-awaited construction of two roundabouts planned for Sykes Mountain Avenue.
Negotiations are underway to purchase a right of way needed from Ryder Truck Rental for the roughly $5 million project; Ryder so far has rebuffed offers from Hartford and the Vermont Agency of Transportation. If those talks aren’t fruitful, the town is threatening to take the land through condemnation.
Since March, Hartford and VTrans have negotiated for a combination of easements and land agreements with 12 property owners near the proposed roundabouts, which are slated for where Sykes Mountain Avenue meets Route 5 and Ralph Lehman Drive.
But Ryder held out until last week, when the Selectboard opened formal condemnation proceedings to take land near the company’s entrance onto Route 5, according to Town Manager Brannon Godfrey. Those proceedings are now on hold as Hartford gives negotiating another try.
“They’re the last (property) owner that we have not agreed on a settlement amount,” Godfrey said during an interview Thursday.
Plans for the two roundabouts date back at least 18 years and stem from safety concerns in the White River Junction neighborhood, Godfrey said. A 2013 scoping study of the community found that the Sykes intersection with Route 5, which is near the exit ramp carrying traffic from both interstates 91 and 89, saw 28 crashes, which resulted in three injuries, between 2006 and 2010.
Godfrey said the dual roundabouts would slow traffic while reducing dangerous vehicle interactions that typically occur as cars react to changing traffic lights. Street improvements also would boost pedestrian and bicycle access in the area, he said.
But Hartford, which is pursuing the project through a combination of state and federal grants, cannot start construction until agreements are reached with abutting property owners. The town is scheduled to seek bids from contractors this winter with groundbreaking expected in the spring of 2020.
So far, the state has agreed to pay a combined $65,000 to landowners, with payments ranging from $250 to $45,000 depending on the scope of the work, according to VTrans engineer Scott Robertson. That figure doesn’t include a payment to the Hartford Land Co., which has agreed to settle on a roughly half-acre parcel on the southern corner of Sykes Mountain Avenue and Route 5.
The agency hopes to reach a deal with Ryder so it can improve access to the company’s 2-acre property, which will sit along one of the roundabouts, Robinson said.
Representatives for the Miami-based company were not available to comment on the matter Friday.
“After discussing conditions with Ryder’s legal team last week, we are optimistic that we can still achieve a negotiated settlement with Ryder,” Godfrey, the town manager, wrote in an email last week.
If they cannot reach an agreement, the Hartford Selectboard is scheduled to take up condemnation proceedings again on Oct. 1, he added.
“Voluntary settlement has always been the preferred method over condemnation,” Godfrey wrote.
Both reaching an agreement or taking the property would give officials enough time to prepare bids on schedule, according to Rob White, who works in VTrans’ Right-of-Way Section.
While Ryder could challenge the condemnation in Superior Court, work could still move ahead while legal proceedings are underway, he said.
“It appears we can work through issues with Ryder,” White said, adding the threat of condemnation usually brings parties to the table.
If all goes well, work on the roundabouts would start next spring and continue through the construction season, which typically ends in November. Town officials say the project could last 15 months, extending into the summer of 2021.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.