WELLFLEET – Wellfleet Board of Selectmen have given state highway officials the approval they need to lay down rumble strips on Route 6 in town.
Officials are hoping that rumble strips reduce the number of accidents on the 14,000 square feet of roadway, which saw two fatal accidents last year.
Paul Pilcher, Chair of the Board of Selectmen said they know there are issues with the roadway.
“We recognize that this is a huge problem that we’re not going to be able to solve overnight and that the problem essentially is too many cars on a road that’s too small,” said Pilcher.
Still, area residents have a number of concerns about the strips, including the fact that they believe they’re not being located where most accidents occur.
“We recognize those aren’t all the places where accidents take place but the one thing is, you can’t put rumble strips where you have a passing lane or else you’re going to have people going across the rumble strips constantly and the purpose of the rumble strips is to alert you as a driver if you start to veer over the center line,” said Pilcher.
Pilcher also adds that residents have voiced their concern about the level of noise the strips will make.
“The noise is only going to take place when somebody strays over and starts to cross the center line so it’s not going to be constant noise,” said Pilcher.
State highway officials plan to have the rumble strips in place by Memorial Day.
Pilcher says that the town will review how much of an impact having the strips on the roadway has at the end of the summer, and if successful, they will discuss plans to expand the strips further on Route 6.
