Traffic Options Around Commons Discussed

By BRIAN H. KEHRL
An array of different options to solve the traffic issues around the Mashpee rotary were placed on the table at the latest meeting between the Mashpee Planning Board, a representative of Mashpee Commons, and staff members of the Cape Cod Commission.
From major changes like an underpass serving Route 151 and Route 28 east toward Hyannis or shrinking the radius of the rotary to slow vehicles down and allow them to pack in more tightly, to smaller tweaks like changing speed limits and traffic lights, many varied options were discussed, though there was little sense of agreement on which changes are likely and which are not.
The discussion on Wednesday evening was part of preliminary discussions between the three parties that may go toward a broad development agreement laying out the future of Mashpee Commons, including much of the area to the south and southeast of the rotary and more development to the west of Super Stop & Shop. In total there may be upward of a million square feet of commercial space and residential development.
Also factored into the traffic burden, at least by planning board member Thomas F. O’Hara, was the coming development of the Job’s and Whiting neighborhoods south of the Parish of Christ the King.
Douglas S. Storrs, vice president of Mashpee Commons LP, said the rotary works well, and only minor changes will be needed to keep it doing so as there is more development in the area. He suggested lowering the speed limits on Route 151 and other roads. “People should not expect to speed through the center of our community at 50 miles per hour,” he said. “They should expect to slow down.”
He extolled the possibilities at hand because Mashpee Commons can effectively plan most of the rotary area because it owns property on both sides of most of the roads around it. “We’re really very lucky here,” he said.
Mashpee Commons has proposed another traffic light, at Steeple Street and Route 28, which would hypothetically be run in concert with the two other lights nearby, Mr. Storrs said.
Town Planner F. Thomas Fudala suggested that the possibility of needing a major change, like an underpass, be included in plans in order to keep all options open, particularly because as the area becomes more developed, there are fewer options available.
James P. Leonard, a planning board member, said the situation may not be as good as Mr. Storrs suggested, citing a recent police report in which an accident was caused by a backup of more than a mile on Route 28. He said he believes that an overpass or an underpass will be the only way to solve the problems now and into the future.
Mr. Storrs said he does not envision an underpass being built any time soon, but he agreed that the plans should not rule out any possibilities.
Mr. Fudala said that Route 151 is a “major state highway on the Upper Cape” and the town should not have to shoulder the burden of improving it alone.
Glenn Cannon, a transportation engineer for the Cape Cod Commission, however, warned that altering rotaries can be extremely expensive, like the Sagamore Bridge flyover, which he said cost more than $70 million. He said any discussion about the future of traffic in the area should be based on whether the town wants to keep the rotary in place. He suggested that the town apply now for state funds for a traffic study for the project.
Mr. Fudala and Mr. Storrs agreed that a bypass, or ring road, drawing some traffic around the rotary instead of through it would ease the problems at the rotary itself. The two agreed that a north-south road, from the entrance to the municipal complex off Route 151, between the Mashpee Police Department and Blockbuster, up to Old Barnstable Road could go a long way toward helping people avoid the rotary.
Mr. Fudala said though it is counter-intuitive, by shrinking the size of the rotary itself, traffic is slowed down and many more cars can be fit into and allowed through at once. A slower, more tightly packed rotary would be safer, too, because the speeds are less so accidents tend to be less severe, he said.
The group is scheduled to meet again, on Wednesday, September 3, to discuss water resources, wastewater, and stormwater issues.