State Promises Flexible Work Schedule for Route 6 Sign Update Project

8ea1a2fd-1b79-4be5-9276-4ff4fc61e2f6HYANNIS – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is seeking the public’s opinion on whenthey should install new, higher-visibility signs on Route 6 and other Cape Cod highways.

MassDOT held a meeting Monday night in Hyannis which assured those in attendance that all work would be conducted on weeknights only, avoiding holidays.

But the department still seeks public opinion on whether they should perform any of the work in the summer, or wait out the season’s busy roadways for calmer conditions in the fall of next year.

Earlier this year, a national initiative by the Federal Highway Administration was offered by MassDOT which would have renumbered exit signs along Route 6. New exit numbers would have corresponded with mileage instead of a number sequence.

MassDOT had also proposed replacing exit signs from exit 2 through 12 with larger overhead, full-span signs, but those plans have also changed.

Though that initiative also failed through collection of public opinion, the issue of roadway safety remains through the fact that 603 signs on Cape Cod are classified by MassDOT as having “poor” reflectivity.

In other words, the signs are worn down to the point that they may, or may not, be visible during daytime hours and fail almost completely to show up at night.

In response, the current project will replace exit signs with enhanced signs of a slightly larger size. However, the same text will remain on almost all of them, according to State Traffic Engineer Neil Boudreu.

“It’s the same posts in the ground, the same signs, just brand new, big panels,” Boudreau said.

Other highways on Cape Cod will receive new regulatory, warning and guide signs. Stop signs, speed limits, “do not enter”’s, pedestrian and others will be replaced by the hundreds to make up for what Boudreau said was a loss of luster.

f6fcaa0d-14d9-4816-8a7f-748981c13b19In addition, green landmark signs and brown historic/cultural signs will be compressed into one sign, which Boudreu said will save money down the line.

The project’s estimated construction cost of $4.5 million will be funded with a combination of money from the Federal Highway Administration and Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Though the project won’t require any long-term lane closures or traffic restrictions to complete, MassDOT will accept public opinion on a timeline for the next couple of weeks.

“If you don’t want us do anything between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we won’t, we’ll hold off,” Boudreau said.

Comments can be sent to Patricia Leavenworth, MassDOT – Highway Division, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116-3973.

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