HYANNIS – With the goal of further stimulating development in the downtown Hyannis area and improving transportation access to regional healthcare facilities, the Cape Cod Commission and the Town of Barnstable have applied for $25 million in federal funds to complete the Hyannis Access Phase II project.
The work involves reconstruction of Yarmouth Road from the town line to its intersection with Route 28, this facet of the improvements is seen as one of the last public infrastructure investments needed to stimulate redevelopment of downtown Hyannis and the surrounding areas, according to the Commission.
Steven Tupper, the Commission’s Planner, says “It’s Phase 2 of what has been referred to as the Hyannis Access Project, looking to improve access from Route 6 into Hyannis to get to the airport, to the transit facilities, Main Street, retail activity, making sure that motorists or maybe even those who may be on bikes can get into the downtown Hyannis area more easily.”
“The 25 million would be used for design, planning and all the way through construction. we would really be taking what is a pretty constrained roadway, expanding it to four lanes and adding a multi-use path.
It will reduce a lot of the congestion we see along that corridor,” Tupper said when asked how the money would be used.
In the past several years there has been significant public investment in the area, including the new Regional Transportation Center and a new airport terminal and access road.
Other improvements include additional wastewater treatment capacity, streetscape improvements downtown and a revitalization of parks and other public areas.
According to the Commission, removal of the Yarmouth Road bottleneck would stimulate private investment and development in the area and improve access for workers, hospital patients, customers and employees and others needing to reach jobs or other destinations in the Hyannis area.
The proposed project would also capitalize on prior improvements in the area, including the recently completed $6 million upgrade of the Exit 7 interchange of Route 6, with an additionally planned $10 million upgrade of the intersection of Route 28.
The planned addition of a multi-use path along Yarmouth Road will connect Hyannis to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, which, after it is built out, will ultimately span 88 miles across the Cape.
In addition to the $25 million sought from the federal government, the Town of Barnstable will contribute $7.8 million and oversee construction activities. Additional funding sources are also being investigated.
By ROB WOODARD, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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