Phase 1 of the Champlain Parkway Project opens, after more than 50 years of back and forth [Video]

After more than 50 years and several legal challenges, the Champlain Parkway Project is finally hitting a major milestone.The nearly 3-mile-long project will connect Burlington’s South End to Interstate 189, and on Tuesday morning, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak held a celebration to officially open a segment from the first phase of this project.A portion of the Champlain Parkway between Home Avenue and Lakeside Avenue opened following a ribbon cutting ceremony that included state and federal leaders.”We’re here to really start to celebrate a generational project of the Champlain Parkway. It’s a project that was first imagined before many of us were even born and is now a few steps closer to being completed,” said Mulvaney-Stanak.The opening marks a significant advancement in the project after decades of delays, including project design revisions.”This project was rightsized from a high-speed, four-lane divided highway to what you see today behind us, which is a …