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Public raises safety and responsiveness concerns as MPO moves Cape Cod Bridges amendment to public comment
Summary
Public commenters told the Cape Cod MPO that the Canal Bridges program has repeatedly dismissed bicycle and pedestrian concerns and that responses to public comments contain errors; the MPO agreed to release TIP and RTP amendments related to the Bridges program for a 21-day public comment period.
Public commenters urged the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization on Tuesday to press state and federal project leaders over what they called repeated dismissals of bicycle and pedestrian concerns in the Cape Cod Bridges program and to put related questions on the MPO record. The MPO voted to release amendments to the 2026'2030 Transportation Improvement Program and the 2024 Regional Transportation Plan for a 21-day public comment period, with final action to return to the board at a later meeting.
The meeting drew several public speakers who said MassDOT and project consultants have failed to address substantive public comments on the Canal Bridges project. "They continue to promulgate the same misinformation," said John York, a resident who urged the MPO to convey those concerns to the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs. He and others said the Final EIR responses repeat errors and downplay bicycle and pedestrian safety issues.
Another commenter, Steve Buckley, asked why the Cape Cod Commission had not required a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) review for what he described as a $4.5 billion program and asked that the MPO formally record the question and examine any legal basis cited by staff for preemption. "I would like to see that on the record as to why something ... that has regional impact is not going to be scrutinized in the traditional way," Buckley said.
Lou Lascher described a specific safety concern for the new Sagamore Bridge path: maps show a crosswalk connecting to the path that would require pedestrians and bicyclists to cross a highway ramp without a traffic signal. "The map shows a crosswalk with no traffic light," Lascher said, calling the response from project staff "woefully inadequate."
Cape Cod Commission staff and MPO members said some matters are governed by federal or U.S. Census definitions and that staff will follow up with commenters. Steven Topper of the Cape Cod Commission noted the FEIR public comment deadline (April 10) and said the Commission can request further information from MassDOT and FHWA and that staff would post detailed amendment materials when available.
After discussion, the MPO voted unanimously to release the RTP and TIP amendments for a 21-day public review period. The motion was made by Kevin Galligan and seconded by Liz Argo. Staff said they will return with the proposed amendment text and any public comments at the next meeting.
The next procedural step is the public comment period and then a return to the MPO for final action; staff also offered to coordinate a presentation by the project team to answer technical questions at a future meeting.
