Harwich Port Sidewalk Proposal Supported by Selectmen

HARWICH – At a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, a plan for a sidewalk along Route 28 in Harwich Port received positive responses from town officials.

The proposed sidewalk would run from Saquatucket Harbor to Bank Street and has been the product of five years of planning.

“There’s currently a lack of consistent, ADA-compliant pedestrian facility from the harbor to Harwich Port. That’s one of the main needs of this project,” said engineer Steve Rhoads with VHB Inc., which consults with the town.

The plan was originally proposed in 2015, however the initial grant application failed.

Though recently, the proposal found new life after being entered into the Transportation Improvement Program by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

“We’ve worked rather diligently, we’ve never taken our foot off the pedal,” said Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper.

“I’m before you the most optimistic I’ve been in five years about the prospect of getting this sidewalk actually constructed.”

Rhoads said that there would be an extensive DOT right-of-way review process if the proposal does become a state funded TIP project.

He said that the engineering costs for the project would run likely run approximately $225,000 while the construction costs are estimated to be just under $800,000.

If the project qualifies as a TIP project, then typically the town would be responsible for the cost of the design while MassDOT would be responsible for the cost of the construction.

The preliminary design would be completed in the spring and summer of 2021, with potential construction expected to last no more than five years.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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