Select Board Rejects Rt. 28-Crowell Rd. Upgrade; Town Will Forgo $5 Million State Project

CHATHAM – The select board voted Tuesday to terminate the $5 million federally-funded state project to upgrade the Route 28-Crowell Road intersection.

Technically, the vote was to remove the project from the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The vote was split 4-1, with board members opposing the project saying that they would prefer to have more control over changes to the intersection by having the town in charge of any upgrades. The project as designed, with wider roads, bike lanes and a large overhead traffic light mast, would change the rural quality of what many consider the “gateway” to town, they said, rejecting the “complete streets” concept — which includes bike lanes, pedestrian upgrades and better signalization — that the state favors for its roadways.

Voting against the project were board members Stuart Smith, Dean Nicastro, Randi Potash and Cory Metters. Chair Jeffrey Dykens cast the only vote in support. Citing the project’s long history and the need to improve safety at the intersection, he called the decision “foolish.”

“That intersection is a nightmare,” he said.

Board member Stuart Smith’s motion called on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the intersection and has been working on the project with the town since 2014, to do much-needed maintenance of the roadway, including fixing leaning traffic signal poles. Dykens countered that if the town backs away from the proposed project, the state is not likely to rush in and do the maintenance work.

“They’re not going to pay any attention to us,” he said.

In a public hearing June 24, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) officials said the town can reject the project, but if any safety improvements or upgrades are done by the town, the work would still have to conform with state standards and may trigger many of the changes already in the proposed project. In that case, the cost of the work would be borne solely by the town, they said.

Removing the project from the TIP means that the money set aside for it will be allocated to another project, said MassDOT Project Manager Tom Currier.

“It would be a terrible shame, given all the time, effort and money that’s gone into it so far,” he said at last Thursday’s 25 percent design hearing at the annex. The town has already invested more than $200,000 for the project’s engineering and design, much of that from state highway funds. The total cost of the project is estimated at $5,130,000.

The project at the intersection of Main Street, Crowell Road, Depot Road and Queen Anne Road included upgraded sidewalks, ramps and crosswalks that are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, new pedestrian signals, the addition of left turning lanes on Route 28, bike lanes and a signal mast that would stretch across the intersection. The new signals would be phased for Main Street left turns and direct each lane of traffic, whereas now, the single traffic signal per street “is confusing to drivers,” Currier said.

He stressed that the project was undertaken at the behest of the town, and that the upgrades were chiefly designed to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. There are currently no pedestrian signals at the intersection, and the traffic signals are outdated.

“I think you have some of the oldest signal equipment on the Cape at this intersection,” he said. “It dates back to the colonial era, I believe.”

Reaction to the project from the 75 people or so residents who attended last week’s hearing was mixed, as it was at Tuesday’s select board meeting. Many of the same people spoke against the project, saying it would create an urban appearance and might increase traffic going into the downtown area.

“You’re going to change the character of the town,” said Rick Leavitt. Select board member Cory Metters agreed, saying that the project would “peel away the historic character of the town.”

Chief of Police Michael Anderson said the intersection isn’t particularly dangerous, with 47 crashes since 2009, none involving serious injury. There were no pedestrian accidents but there were seven accidents involving bicycles, he said.

The project had the support of the bikeways committee and traffic safety committee. Joan Craig, chair of the latter group, said she has witnessed many near-misses at the intersection and added that the design was “tastefully done.” 

Several people asked board members about their “plan B,” once the state-sponsored project was rejected. Smith called on the state highway department to “pursue prudent normal maintenance” of the intersection. He was not in favor of the town taking control of the intersection, but nonetheless made a motion asking Town Manager Jill Goldsmith to investigate the process of doing that as well as the ramifications. The motion passed 3-2, with Dykens and Dean Nicastro dissenting.