Previous flooding on Lower County Road
HARWICH – A major capital project in Harwich will soon go out to bid.
The town is seeking to reconstruct Lower County Road at a projected cost of $5.5 million.
Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper presented the proposed project to Selectmen last month and says it is ready to go for bid with hopes of having cost estimates in time for Town Meeting.
“It’s a 2.2 mile-long road that has a continuous sidewalk that is not ADA compliant and is in need of some major reconstruction,” Hooper said.
The section of the roadway is also riddled with structural issues and failing drainage systems.
The water department has conducted water infrastructure upgrades along the road over the past year which has resulted in several patched areas.
Hooper described the project as a “footprint job.”
“What is there is now is going to be put back, with the exception of the sidewalk that is generally four feet wide. We need to make it five feet wide to make it ADA compliant,” Hooper said.
Hooper said returns and ramps need to be brought up to code as well.
The town will fund the project on its own as the current proposal would not meet the state’s Complete Streets standards.
Lower County Road has a 40-foot right of way and complete streets require 43 feet for bike lanes and sidewalks in both directions.
“Quite frankly, it wouldn’t have met the character of that road,” Hooper said.
The road is eligible for the state and federal Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP.
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