Cape Cod Commission outlines Route 6A visioning study, cites safety data and seeks public input

At a public meeting in the Cape Cod Commission office and online, Dave Nolan, senior transportation planner at the Cape Cod Commission, presented a two-year Route 6A visioning study aimed at ``exploring ways to improve safety along the corridor while protecting the unique character,'' and asked residents and town staff to use a new online comment map during a summer outreach period.

The study covers the state-owned portions of Route 6A from Bourne through Orleans and again in Truro and Provincetown, and the commission is coordinating with the towns and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Nolan said the study compiles prior planning work, new speed and volume surveys, pedestrian and bicycle counts, right-of-way maps, and crash data so the commission and the state can identify context-sensitive safety improvements without “making Route 6A look like Route 28.”

Why it matters: Route 6A is a nationally designated scenic byway used by residents, schoolchildren, tourists and transit riders. The corridor mixes village centers and free-flow segments, has multiple jurisdictional owners and recurring safety concerns that the study aims to prioritize for design, funding and potential MassDOT action.

Study findings and data cited - Speed: The commission collected radar-based 85th-percentile speed readings in multiple posted-speed zones; in one example where the posted limit is 35 mph the 85th-percentile was 43 mph eastbound and 42 mph westbound. Nolan explained the 85th-percentile metric is used to understand how fast drivers actually travel. - Right-of-way: The commission compiled MassDOT right-of-way plans; one Sandwich segment shown has a 60-foot right-of-way, which Nolan said does not mean 60 feet of…