Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board discusses bridge congestion and school routing; proposes working group with superintendent and MassDOT contact
Summary
Members raised concerns that bridge congestion is delaying school buses and disrupting attendance; the board agreed to collect local suggestions and coordinate with the superintendent, police, DPW and MassDOT through a focused group or outreach to district staff.
The Bourne Planning Board spent part of the meeting discussing safety and traffic concerns around the town’s bridges and the impacts those issues have on school transportation.
Chair (speaker 5) said he wanted to “take the temperature of the board” about contributing comments on bridge and roadway safety and working with the school superintendent and MassDOT. He cited examples from his family’s experience and said bridge congestion had led to multi‑hour delays for school commutes on some days.
Members described repeated rush‑hour backups and cited recent bridge work that has lengthened travel times for buses and families. One member said school start‑time changes and bridge construction have caused buses and students to be late to school. The board discussed practical mitigation ideas — from short‑term traffic‑control tactics used historically (stopping traffic briefly to allow buses through) to compiling a short list of safety concerns to submit to the superintendent and to MassDOT with input from police, fire and DPW.
The board agreed it would be useful to formalize a short list of concerns and to involve town departments and the superintendent in conversations with MassDOT. Staff said they had already reached out to a MassDOT district contact previously and that the district had sought local input.
Next step: the board asked staff to coordinate with the superintendent’s office and relevant departments and to consider forming a small committee or working group to prepare a concise set of recommendations for MassDOT and other stakeholders.
