County Officials Discuss Route 28 Corridor Study with Mashpee, Cotuit Residents

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MASHPEE – Barnstable County officials and staff from the towns of Barnstable and Mashpee recently met with residents to discuss traffic issues along Route 28 around the Mashpee/Cotuit line.

The Cape Cod Commission is studying the roadway between Route 130 and Orchard Road after the section was identified as a priority by MassDOT due to congestion and safety issues.

The roadway sees significant back-ups, especially during the summer months, which is a barrier to regional travel, along with access to local businesses and homes.

Safety issues are also a concern as the stretch of roadway has seen more than 150 crashes over a three-year period.

The Commission’s technical services director Glen Cannon says the lack of pedestrian access was a major topic of discussion at the listening session July 26 at the Mashpee Public Library attended by more than 50 residents.

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“There are no sidewalks along this section of Route 28. There are no bike lanes,” Cannon said. “There is a commercial center there along Route 28 and no sidewalks. It’s difficult for people to cross the street or walk along the street.”

Cannon said attendees also expressed concerns about a few intersections along the corridor, including at Noisy Hole Road.

Several resident of the Cotuit Meadows subdivision off Noisy Hole Road said they were promised a traffic signal from the developer at Route 28.

“We’re investigating that to see if that promise is really a condition or a requirement,” Cannon said. “But when you are dealing with MassDOT it is a little bit different than dealing with a town or a town road. There are certainly specific requirements that have to go in before you can put in a traffic signal.”

Cannon said the commission is doing data collection now to see if the intersection qualifies for a traffic signal.

The commission will present concepts for potential improvements to the corridor on September 27 at the Mashpee Public Library.

Improvement projects to the corridor would be completed by MassDOT.

The commission is going to file paperwork with MassDOT to try to get this project onto the transportation improvement program.

“MassDOT is looking for what they call “complete streets” now. Route 28 is certainly not a complete street. It’s kind of just auto-oriented right now,” Cannon said.

Complete streets include sidewalks, bicycle lanes and travel lanes for cars and mass transit vehicles.

“We’ll also be talking with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority to see if they need a formal stop here or a pullout area that can be incorporated into the plans,” Cannon said.

Cannon said the project is probably in a five to 10 year window.

“This is probably not on MassDOT’s radar right now so that makes it a little bit more difficult,” he said.

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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