CHATHAM – Chatham selectmen have unanimously approved a preliminary redesign of the Crowell Road intersection on Route 28.
Consultants will now flesh out details for state approval.
The intersection is notorious for being hard to navigate and for causing major delays and traffic, especially during the summer months.
For years the intersection has been the subject of much debate, with town officials and residents unsure of how to properly fix the road.
Selectmen still have reservations about the project despite the unanimous vote, as it would cost upwards of $3 million.
It is estimated that $3.05 million of the funding would come from the state, however the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s funding is based on designs that comply with their Complete Streets Program.
To comply, the design would need sidewalks and bike paths or lanes along roadways to safely accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.
When a design layout does not allow for all those elements, towns can seek waivers, however they are rarely granted.
Civil engineering firm Howard Stein Hudson spoke with selectmen about redesigning the area.
“The bike accommodation is actually a shared use path on the south side of Route 28, that’s a 10 foot wide shared use path that will also connect into the church’s side walk,” said consultant for Howard Stein Hudson, Keri Pyke.
“A shared use path is intended to be used by both pedestrians and cyclists.”
Design consultants for the firm also stated that sidewalks and bike lanes will make the area safer and that an enlarged intersection, improved and more visible overhead traffic signals, dedicated turn lanes, and better road markings will translate into safer, smoother vehicle traffic flow.
Selectmen responded, staying that the area is too busy for bike lanes, especially in the area a few hundred feet up the road which forces cyclists back onto the original road layout with no sidewalks and narrow lanes.
A consultant for Howard Stein Hudson told the board that some within the firm had expressed concerns about adding bike lanes, but that the state was not likely to grant a waiver.
While the direction of the potential project remains unclear, selectmen thought the design had a lot of positive features and was worth advancing from sketches to actual concrete plans with the idea that changes could be made in the future.
Howard Stein Hudson projected that designs would be submitted to MassDOT sometime this coming winter, with a public hearing in the spring and construction to get underway in the winter of 2022-23.
“The plan right now for this project is on Fiscal Year 2023 on the Cape Cod TIP program for just over $3 million of state and federal funds,” continued Pyke.
“This will allow us to keep on that schedule to keep that construction funding.”
For more information on the project, visit ChathamCrowellroad.info.
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