Route 7 Shift Meets Resistance

Author: Julie Shumway

Residents of Brandon are concerned that the town may suffer drastically from a proposed upgrade of Route 7.
The upgrade would remove the bend in the middle of the downtown, which has one of the highest accident rates in the state.
However, the upgrade would significantly reduce the size of nearby Central Park, and affect the local bank and two churches.
Residents are worried with the changes to Central Park, which include narrowing it and placing the highway on the south side of the park.
Doubts also exist about a plan to move many downtown parking spaces, creating one larger parking area on a hill.
This alarms the town's business owners, as it means shoppers will have to walk down the hill to the stores they are patronizing.
Costs are also a concern. According to a law dating from the 19th century, Brandon owns the section of the road which runs through its center. Consequently, the town must pay 10 percent of the total cost of the project, about $597,000.