Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Beach Road project manager Thomas Currier told Island officials and residents at a public hearing last week that he anticipated construction would begin in spring 2018 on the long-awaited and much-debated project, and that it would cost roughly $2.4 million in state and federal dollars.
After a decade of discussion, one year ago Tisbury selectmen voted 2-1 on a design known as the “hybrid-hybrid” plan. At last Wednesday’s hearing, DOT engineers presented a “25 percent design” of the Beach Road project. Mr. Currier told residents that MassDOT aimed for the design to be completed by next spring, and for construction to start the following year.
Tisbury board of selectmen chairman Melinda Loberg told The Times in a phone conversation on Tuesday that the 25 percent design was in fact substantial, in the sense that the bulk of the design was now done.
“It was sort of a milestone that we’ve been waiting for,” Ms. Loberg said.
During last Wednesday’s hearing, the consensus was that the project — which stretches a mere half-mile — was long overdue. Islanders unhappy with the plan, however, did not relent in their criticisms. They continued to voice concerns over sidewalks, the speed limit, bicyclist and pedestrian safety, and the drainage around Five Corners. Selectmen also asked that MassDOT communicate with them better as the project continues.
Mr. Currier presented the project design to Tisbury selectmen and about 25 people gathered at the Tisbury Senior Center, along with vice president and director of traffic engineering John Diaz of the engineering consulting firm Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI). They had the arduous task of addressing the many concerns expressed about the project.
“There’s only so many ways you can slice this pie,” Mr. Currier said.
The Beach Road project includes bike and pedestrian improvements, as well as a comprehensive redesign of Beach Road from Five Corners to the seawall past R.M. Packer Co. It extends the shared-use path east from Wind’s Up toward Tisbury Marketplace, creating a usable shoulder for bicyclists. Mr. Diaz told residents that construction would create temporary traffic impacts, but only during shoulder seasons.
Decrepit sidewalks
Mr. Currier presented a design with smaller sidewalks on only one side of the road, not both. That was received with opposition. Mr. Currier said the decision came after considerable debate.
The design showed Beach Road with a five-and-a-half-foot sidewalk and a four-and-a-half-foot bicycle lane. The shared-use path design, for both pedestrians and bicyclists, was 10 feet.
Although the original design showed 43 feet from one end of the sidewalk to the other, Mr. Currier said that the dimensions that were decided for the current design went with a total of 41 feet. The decision was the result of an eight-year discussion with town administrator Jay Grande, Tisbury selectmen, the planning board, and residents.
Selectman Larry Gomez was in favor of sidewalks on both sides of the road, saying he considered it to be a safety issue. Mr. Gomez opposed the design MassDOT presented last Thursday.
“It’s our road. You own it, but it’s our road,” Mr. Gomez said. “We use it. You don’t.”
Harold Chapdelaine, chairman of the Tisbury Historic Commission, said the only difference from now would be walking on pavement as opposed to walking on the “decrepit areas” that pedestrians currently use.
“I think we miss, as a town, a huge opportunity on this stretch of road to really change the way it presents, not only to us, but to the people who feed us,” Mr. Chapdelaine said. “And the people who feed us are the people who come off the boat and spend their tourist dollars. We owe it to ourselves to do a better job developing that stretch of road.”
Other issues residents included the location of the crosswalk, the size of the shared-use path, and the placement of bicycle lanes.
Slow down
On Tuesday, Ms. Loberg told The Times that based on complaints, the town is seeking to lower the speed limit to 20 mph from the Lagoon Pond drawbridge to Five Corners as a way to improve safety and add consistency. She said that because the area is a business district and also sees a lot of bicyclists and pedestrians, the speed limit ought to be reduced.
Asked for the data to support that request, Ms. Loberg said, “I can’t say that there are a lot of accidents, but for the short distance and for the area, especially Five Corners, more accidents happen, percentage-wise.”
Last year, Ralph Packer, owner of R.M. Packer Co., a heating and fueling operation and barge depot on Beach Road, circulated a petition that called on MassDOT to reduce the Beach Road speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph from Five Corners to Wind’s Up and from 40 mph to 30 mph to the Lagoon Pond drawbridge.
“Further, we request the installation of a pedestrian-crossing warning signal for the crosswalk at Wind’s Up to alert motorists entering Tisbury to slow down (from 6 am – 6 pm),” the petition read.
Mr. Packer said he was concerned about people speeding when they enter town from Oak Bluffs. He said it is easy for drivers to be distracted by the scenery along the stretch of road where the the speed limit is 40 mph, and suddenly the road enters a congested working waterfront.
Requests for speed-limit changes must be made to MassDOT, which usually requests that the town or city conduct a traffic count and speed study. The agency then makes a determination on the need for a change based on that data.
Ms. Loberg brought the speed-limit issue to MassDOT’s attention at the public hearing. Mr. Packer echoed Ms. Loberg’s request to lower the speed to 20 mph.
“If you reduce the speed, you reduce the chance of an accident,” Mr. Packer said.
Mr. Grande told MassDOT the town didn’t want to be “misled” in thinking that a speed study done after construction would be sufficient.
State speed limits are most often set based on a measurement known as the 85th percentile. The 85th percentile is the speed traveled by 85 percent of the cars using a roadway. Traffic engineers assume that 85 percent of the drivers travel at a reasonable and safe speed.
Because the state considers Beach Road a critical artery, the design warrants a 30 mph speed limit, Mr. Currier said.
Down the drain
The design included a much-needed upgrade of the drainage system. Mr. Diaz told Islanders that MassDOT would replace the existing drainage system with an updated system, using the catch basins that are already in place.
Residents, however, expressed concern over the environmental impact and the overall maintenance of the system. Vineyard Haven resident and board member of Tisbury Waterways Harriet Barrow said that there were other solutions that MassDOT had not mentioned, like bioswales and basins that could purify the outflow in order to protect the harbor.
Selectman Tristan Israel told Mr. Currier that Tisbury needed more maintenance resources, and that he was concerned that the new drainage system would not be maintained.
“The maintenance on the road now is abysmal. I understand that there are budget constraints. But we bring — Martha’s Vineyard and the town of Tisbury, which is a component of Martha’s Vineyard — we bring a lot of dollars to the state of Massachusetts, and we only get sand on the road, I don’t know, one time,” Mr. Israel said. “It’s really not acceptable. If you’re going to spend money on whatever kind of drainage we’re going to do, but you’re not going to maintain it, what’s the point?”
Attributing it to the confines of a low budget, Mr. Currier said, “We can’t deny that we have fallen short in that department.”
Mr. Currier and Mr. Diaz grew weary as the evening wore on. Mr. Diaz told Islanders MassDOT intended to build a road they wanted, but the process has been “exhausting.” Mr. Currier told residents that the plan was a good compromise.
“If I sound kind of pedantic and perhaps a little frustrated, I apologize. I really do,” Mr. Currier said. “It’s just that our job is to get you a project, and if we keep talking about inches out here, we’ll never get anywhere.”