I-189 serves as an Interstate-grade connector between I-89 and a commercial district along US 7 (Shelburne Road). It is signed as an east–west highway. Prior to 2010, only one directional sign had been posted on the highway, on the eastbound side after the on-ramp from US 7. Sign replacements and additions in late 2010 added directional signs on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the route.
History
Unused section of the Champlain Parkway to the west of US 7; the current interchange is visible in the distance. Construction has begun on this segment since then.
The concept of I-189, named as the Southern Connector, and the Champlain Parkway into the city of Burlington along the waterfront and service an industrial area was first made in the mid-1960s. The construction of the C-1 Section (I-189/U.S. Route 7 interchange to Home Avenue), began construction sometime in the late 1980s, It was nearly completed in 1989, but the remediation plan development for the Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund Site delayed the construction of the C-2 Section (Home Avenue to Lakeside Avenue) and the C-8 Section (Lakeside Avenue to Battery Street through the Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund Site), and due to continued legal challenges. These challenges mostly came from the Pine Street Coalition, who argued the project was unnecessary and too costly as well as discriminatory due to the increased traffic in the low-income and minority residents of King and Maple streets neighborhood.[2] The original Southern Connector project was eventually canceled as the city largely left behind its industrial past in favor of tourism in the 1980s and the roadway was abandoned just beyond the US 7 interchange. As a result, Jersey barriers are in place on I-189 west directing traffic onto the US 7 offramp, orphaning approximately 0.65 miles (1.05 km) of road, along with a few ramps. More support of the project in recent years has led to a resumption of construction.[3]
Future
The federal government previously gave the state a deadline to make a final decision on building the extension or they would lose matching funds. In early 2012[update], consensus settled on a two-lane parkway named the "Champlain Parkway" that will run northerly from Home Avenue for about 0.7 miles (1.1 km), then curve onto existing city streets in order to funnel traffic into downtown away from US 7.[4] I-189 will extend westward, then turn to the north, terminate at Home Avenue, and connect to the parkway. In August 2014, the parkway received its land use permit, clearing the way for the project to begin.[5] Opposition to the $30-million project and changes to its design led to delays in construction,[6][7] which finally began in June 2022.[8] The segment of the parkway between Home and Lakeside Avenues opened in August 2024, with the entire highway going into service in 2026.[9][10]
