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Public Works briefs Select Board on East Main Street corridor design; board gives feedback on path width, safety and right‑of‑way
Summary
Public Works Director Chris Pant presented the 25% design for the East Main Street Corridor shared‑use path (projected construction cost ~$8.2M, design funded by Chapter 90). Board members discussed 8‑ vs. 10‑foot path widths, buffers, underpass details, hawk signals, and encroachment/ROW processes; staff will consolidate comments for the designer and MassDOT review.
Chris Pant, the town’s director of public works, gave a stage‑setting briefing on the East Main Street Corridor project’s 25% design submission and outlined the process for consolidating departmental comments before a designer‑level reconciliation meeting with MassDOT. The proposed corridor would extend from Hastings School toward Thomas Newton Drive, add a shared‑use path (the design seeks an 8‑foot path with a 2‑foot asphalt buffer rather than grass) and address the East Main/Flanders intersection for improved safety.
Key points discussed included the tradeoff between an 8‑foot path (requested for right‑of‑way and cost reasons) and a 10‑foot multi‑use path favored by the ATSC for higher‑volume commuter use; the board asked the design team to evaluate hawk or similar crossing signals under the Route 9 underpass, consider guardrails or delineators where space is tight, and clarify how MassDOT will handle property encroachments and acquisition. Pant said construction is currently estimated at about $8.2 million and that design expenses are town‑funded (Chapter 90) and run about $900,000 to completion.
Why it matters: The corridor is a significant capital project that changes pedestrian/bike connectivity. Width, buffer and crossing choices will affect cost, property impacts, safety and whether the path functions as a local walkway or a higher‑speed commuter route.
What happens next: Staff will collect the Select Board’s comments and forward them to the designer and MassDOT; a formal design public hearing is expected in the fall as the project advances.
