Rutland's New Mayor Seeks Changes to Busy Intersection

Mayor Tom Donahue wants to address a vacant property and revisit a previous road diet project.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 4:40am

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Rutland's newly elected mayor, Tom Donahue, is looking to make changes to one of the city's busiest intersections at Woodstock Avenue and North Main Street. Donahue wants to address a vacant building and property alongside the highway, and is also considering reversing a previous 'road diet' project that was installed a few years ago.

Why it matters

As a major gateway into Rutland, this intersection is an important entry point for the city. Donahue believes addressing the vacant property and revisiting the road diet could help improve the appearance and functionality of this key intersection.

The details

Donahue, who won a write-in election on Town Meeting Day, says the vacant building and property alongside the highway give a poor first impression of Rutland. He is considering options to either knock down or clean up the property. Donahue is also looking at potentially reversing the 'road diet' project that was installed a few years ago, which reduced the number of travel lanes in the area.

  • Donahue won a write-in election on Town Meeting Day and will finish out the remainder of a one-year term.
  • The 'road diet' project was installed a few years ago.

The players

Tom Donahue

The newly elected mayor of Rutland, Vermont.

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What they’re saying

“It sounds like a small thing but when you're driving through your city and talking about how great Rutland is and then one of the first things you see is that property we're not really walking the walk.”

— Tom Donahue, Rutland City Mayor

“I will not use our city taxpayer dollars to do that if we decide to turn it back it can't fall back on the city taxpayers the city taxpayers need tax relief not adding more expense.”

— Tom Donahue, Rutland City Mayor

What’s next

Donahue plans to further evaluate options for addressing the vacant property and potentially reversing the previous road diet project, while ensuring any changes do not burden city taxpayers.

The takeaway

Rutland's new mayor is focused on improving the appearance and functionality of a key intersection in the city, recognizing that the first impression it gives can impact perceptions of the community as a whole.