Small Business Funding

Months after Julys devastating flooding left The Bolton Access Road in ruins, this vital connection to Bolton Valley has finally been fully restored.The route serves as the lifeline for the ski resort, local homes, and businesses in the area, which were left stranded by the storm.Its not a great trend that weve seen over the last few years, said Molly Mahar, president of the Vermont Ski Areas Association, reflecting on the increasing challenges posed by extreme weather events linked to climate change.The July floods left the Bolton Access Road unrecognizable, cutting off the community and highlighting the need for immediate repairs.Benjamin Heath, vice president of Engineers Construction Inc., was among those tasked with the emergency response. His team was responsible for restoring all the infrastructure around the Bolton area.I live in that neck of the woods, so I know theres a big residential presence, and of course, theres a ski resort at the top of the hill. It became evident to us almost immediately that that whole community up there had been cut off, Heath said.Heaths team worked quickly to make the road passable by filling in critical sections, buying time for more permanent repairs and flood-prevention measures.The best thing that we can do is work with our local community and within the bounds of the funding we can receive to create more places for the water to go without destroying things along its pathway, Heath said.Fortunately, the timing of the disaster allowed repair crews to complete their work well before the start of ski season.It happened so far ahead of ski season that the areas have plenty of time, said Mahar.Bolton Valley Resort President Lindsay Deslauriers expressed her gratitude for the efforts that made the recovery possible, now that the road has been fully repaired for several months.Without that single lane of travel, all the residents are stuck up here. Theres no business. You cant have anybody coming up and down the road. We would have really been dead in the water, Deslauriers said.Other crucial routes, such as Route 100, which connects to resorts like Sugarbush and Mad River Glen, were also affected by the July floods.Thanks to the hard work of road crews, these ski resorts said they anticipate no issues as they prepare to open for the season.