Annual Transportation Planning Process Begins 

Infrastructure improvement is an inevitable part of life: from paving roads, updating bridges and culverts, adding sidewalks and bike lanes, reconstructing intersections, and improving safety – road work projects help ensure our region’s roadway system is safe, up-to-date, and accessible to all users.  

Driving around Cape Cod, you may have noticed ongoing work along Bearses Way in Hyannis to add a shared-use path, or culvert work on Route 6A in Dennis. Construction is also expected to start shortly for the next phase of work on Route 151 in Mashpee and for the sidewalk installation project on Route 28 in Harwich near Saquatucket Harbor. Each of these projects received funding through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), an annual process that creates a five-year list of projects to be completed using a combination of state and federal funds.   

Often, projects of this scale are informed by data and studies conducted by Commission staff, driven by the annual Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), a list of projects to be carried out by Commission staff over the next year. Typically comprised of data collection efforts and corridor studies, UPWP projects help drive future improvements across the region. The recently completed Chatham Parking and Circulation Study and Station Avenue Corridor Study are examples of projects included in the UPWP. 

Each year, the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), with insight from the Joint Transportation Committee (JTC), guidance from Cape Cod Commission transportation staff, and input from the public, helps to create these documents to guide funding for infrastructure improvement projects on Cape Cod. 

Infrastructure improvement encompasses much more than just ease of travel. Decision makers are looking for projects that improve safety for all roadway users, ensure that all demographics, including those with disabilities or limited mobility and those located in low-income areas can get where they need to go using existing infrastructure and transit services, and consider current and future climate resiliency. 

Public input is a large part of the process, as roadway users are most directly impacted by improvements as well as ongoing work. The public is invited to join the monthly JTC and MPO meetings, and a series of upcoming public meetings and informational events, both virtual and in-person, will be held throughout the process. 

To learn more about the transportation planning process, please visit www.capecodcommission.org/tip.