Funding Sought For Old Colony, Main Street Road Projects

ORLEANS – The warrant for May’s annual town meeting is expected to include two articles seeking a total of $450,000 to advance road improvement projects on Old Colony Way and Main Street.

In a presentation to the select board Feb. 5, the transportation and bikeways advisory committee recommended that an article be drafted requesting $350,000 for engineering and design of Old Colony Way. A second article would seek an additional $100,000 for a field survey along a stretch of Main Street from the intersection of Route 28 to Beach Road.

The improvements are designed to create more space for pedestrians and bicyclists to safely navigate both roads, where sidewalks are narrow and are not continuous. Alice Thomason, who chairs the transportation and bikeways committee, said that the improvements also would provide health and environmental benefits to the town and would better connect project areas with the town’s village center.

 The Main Street project as well as another being explored along Beach Road were identified as priority areas for work as part of the town’s Complete Streets prioritization plan.

But the proposed work on Old Colony Way came into focus after that plan’s completion, said Thomason, who said speeding has long been a problem on the road.

“As you all know, it’s a very wide road with great sightlines, and it’s a real easy road to cruise down, oftentimes too quickly,” she told the select board. Thomason also cited other concerns including poor visibility from parking lots created by on-street parking, narrow sidewalks and a lack of safe travel options for non-motorists.

Two options were presented Feb. 5 for improving Old Colony. The first called for a continuous sidewalk on the road’s north side and a “segmented” sidewalk on the south side, with street parking on both sides of the road. There also would be bump-outs created for crosswalks and to improve sight distance from driveways.

Pros identified with the first option include the preservation of street parking and potential cost savings. Cons include concerns about the ability of pedestrians to coexist with cyclists, skateboarders and people using other modes of transportation. There were also concerns with the use of “hard curbing,” which officials say is unpopular with residents.

The second option would involve a wider sidewalk on the south side of the road that would allow for space for pedestrians, bicyclists and people using wheelchairs and strollers. The north side of the road would feature a continuous sidewalk stretching from West Road to Main Street. Bump outs are also called for in the second option, and street parking would be provided on the north side only.

Officials see the second option as a safe, multi-modal transportation option to the Cape Cod Rail Trail and a design that can better connect Old Colony Road to the center of town. Concerns include the loss of street parking on the road’s south side and perceived “redundancy” with the rail trail.

“It is in no way redundant because it doesn’t lead us into the downtown, into the amenities, the services, the recreation,” countered Andrea Reed of the select board. Thomason agreed, noting a study from the Cape Cod Commission found that 82 percent of rail trail users found their way into Orleans’ village center.

Public Works Director Rich Waldo said that in each case, the amount of pavement on Old Colony Road would be cut back in the hope of reducing vehicle speeds. 

”When you look at it, it’s a really wide layout,” he said. “It’s a wide layout with a lot of pavement. When you’re driving down a similar road like that, it tends to cause people to speed up.”

Mark Kaminsky, a resident of Old Colony Way, said he preferred the second option to the first.

“It keeps the five-foot sidewalk, but then also has additional capabilities (for pedestrians and bicyclists),” he said.

But George Russell had concerns about the plans, including the safety risks they pose from residents living in Old Colony Village. He said road visibility is a problem for people entering and leaving the complex.

“The only people who really know how bad it is are the people that live there,” he said. “Not the people in the town that are going to vote on it. We know how bad it is, because we come and go.”

Two options also were presented for improving Main Street. The first calls for the creation of a 5.5-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of the road and the creation of five-foot bike lanes on both sides. The second option would involve improving the sidewalk on the north side and creating a shared-use path on the south side of the road.

For either option to work, Thomason said, there should be some willingness from property owners on Main Street to trim hedges and “police their properties” in order to ensure easy access along sidewalks and rights of way.

“They literally have to turn their shoulders in places to walk by,” she said.

But Select Board member Kevin Galligan urged caution when it comes to any improvements that involve the removal of trees and other greenery along Main Street.

“This whole area is kind of a quaint part of our town, and I would hate to see a lot of trees come down to accomplish this,” he said.

Questions were also raised about what work along Main Street would involve in the way of removing and relocating utility poles. Waldo said the public works department is in the process of studying what measures would need to be taken to make both options work.

“We laid out these two concepts to give us a good idea of where our obstruction points are, where potential easements may be,” he said. “We’re looking at trees and some of those hard structures, those physical structures, that would be an impact. And that’s kind of helping us generate some thoughts as to what design alternative is the best.”

Amanda Converse, the town’s public information officer and economic development coordinator, said the proposed work along Main Street has considerable support from local businesses in the area.

“Every single business owner that I’ve met with in East Orleans has expressed that this is their number one priority, to have this area sidewalked and more walkable,” she said.

If  funding is approved in May, a timeline calls for articles to go before town meeting voters for additional funds for both projects in the years ahead. That includes $500,000 for design and engineering in May 2026 and an estimated $3 million for construction for the Old Colony Way Work. On Main Street, an estimated $10 million is expected to be requested at the annual town meeting in May 2030.

Waldo said the town will explore opportunities to subsidize the work through grants. One avenue could be through the state’s Transportation Improvement Program. Waldo said it may be a “smart option” to seek TIP funding on Main Street given the project’s $10 to $12 million cost.

“And that’s in today’s dollars,” he said. “Seven years from now it could be more.”

But officials cautioned that nothing is guaranteed in the way of funding through the highly competitive program. Galligan said as of now, there is a seven-year wait list for projects to be considered.

“There is a huge competitive landscape to go after that on an annual basis, so we have to make a strong case that this is rising to the top against others,” he said.

Waldo said that there will be opportunities for members of the public to weigh in on both projects in the future. 

The transportation and bikeways committee is also exploring similar improvements along Beach Road out to Nauset Beach. Thomason said that a feasibility study is underway to identify “constraints” that might be involved with the project. A field study is planned for 2027.