Engineers outline 10‑ft Minet/Narrows shared‑use path; commission raises wetlands and tree‑protection concerns

Town and state engineers presented a 10‑ft paved shared‑use path proposal for Narrows Road and Minet Avenue on June 17, emphasizing connectivity, safety and regional funding while flagging unavoidable wetland and open‑space impacts.

Brian Wallace of JC Engineering, representing the town, said the project would replace narrow sidewalks with a continuous 10‑ft path from Sandwich/Narrows Road to Great Neck Road, add crosswalks, and make minor utility relocations and drainage improvements. The work would be funded with state and federal allocations and a MassTrails design/acquisition grant; the team expects to be at 25% design now, progress to 75% and 100% design later, and target earliest construction in 2028 with funding horizon through 2030.

Engineers said the alignment will require shifting the roadway north by up to about 8 ft in places to create space for the path. Some sections cross coastal bank and flood‑zone areas, and two locations will require permanent wetland impacts (engineers cited impacts of roughly 1,352 sq ft in one area and roughly 708/158 sq ft in another). Proposed mitigation includes on‑site replication (engineers described replication areas aggregating roughly 900 sq ft near the Great Neck terminus and an initial ~225 sq ft area elsewhere) and a modified Rockville slope to stabilize altered banks. The team said it would try to increase replication ratios if feasible.

Commissioners pressed the project team on specifics: how lane shifts would affect railroad right‑of‑way and informal parking near the Narrows restaurant; the proposal’s effects on an Article 97 Minet Forest strip and the town’s memorial garden; potential impacts on a nearby osprey nest; and coordination with cultural‑resource reviews already under way near Brandy Hill Apartments. The project will need design exceptions where state roadway standards conflict with spatial constraints.

Commissioners requested phased sitewalks focusing on wetlands and sensitive segments rather than one long walk; the applicants agreed to stake critical sections and schedule field visits. Several residents and regional advocates, including Sheri Quirk of the South Coast Bikeway Alliance and Susan Man, spoke in favor of the path noting safety benefits for bicyclists, walkers and schoolchildren.

The commission continued the hearing to August 19, 2026, and asked applicants to provide revised plans and stake centerlines at key wetland‑adjacent segments, to document proposed replication sites, and to coordinate with the Minet Forest committee and the town planner. Engineering teams and staff also agreed to examine increasing replication ratios and to minimize tree removals in Article 97 areas.

The project remains a multiagency undertaking requiring state approvals, federal funding compliance and local wetlands permitting. Commissioners said early sitewalks and clear replication plans will be essential at the 75% design stage.