National Seashore Completes Bike and Pedestrian Path Review

WELLFLEET – Officials with the Cape Cod National Seashore have wrapped up an environmental review of the Outer Cape Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan utilizing the park’s lands.

The 2017 Outer Cape Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan has been a joint effort between the Cape Cod Commission, National Park Service, and three Outer Cape towns to consider expanding and enhancing multi-modal routes throughout the Outer Cape and Cape Cod National Seashore.

The project overview was first released to the public in the fall of 2014, and has gone through revisions to incorporate feedback from members of the community at large as well as from stakeholders.

“The master plan was completed in February 2017, and it included LANDS inside and outside of the sea shore. The seashore needed to take a little longer time to get that review of the environmental and cultural impacts on park land,” Said Lauren McKean, a Park Planner at the Cape Cod National Seashore, “We’ve finished our environmental analysis we’ve got concurrents from the state’s historic preservation office and projects can move forward. So we are starting to embark on two implementation projects in this year and hope for construction in 2019.”

The version of the Bicycle Master Plan released over the winter includes a recommended primary route from South Wellfleet to Provincetown, and recommended secondary routes within each community that connect to the primary route and to popular destinations as well.

Throughout the three year planning process, the park service worked together with the Cape Cod Commission and towns conducting four public workshops, meetings with town staff, as well as about 20 Steering Committee meetings with town representatives.

Following an analysis of public comments and potential modification to routes on park-managed lands within the park boundary, national seashore staff determined the Bicycle Master Plan improvements needed on park-managed lands are limited to minor shoulder widening, signage, and pavement markings in most areas.

“We’re fortunate to have broad community support for bicycle safety improvements and this comprehensive master plan in place to move several projects forward immediately,” said Seashore Interim Superintendent Kathy Tevyaw, It’s exciting to begin to implement the plan as soon as it’s completed. We’ve received funds from the NPS through Federal Highways transportation improvement programs to contract the design of the Head of the Meadow Bike Trail rehab and connector project, and four Share-the- Road projects to be undertaken in the coming year.”

Any necessary site-specific archaeological monitoring, sensitive species protections, and wetland permitting will be conducted prior to trail widening to ensure sensitive resources are avoided or impacts are mitigated.

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