Complete Regional Transportation Plan 2012 - Cape Cod ...

ecovery area which reduces roadway departure crashes, and a breakdown area thatallows disabled vehicles to be moved out of the travel lane, thereby mitigating congestionimpacts from such incidents. These all result in safety, operational, and maintenancebenefits which yield long-term cost savings.Preliminary Design Concepts – Road widening or the addition of paved shouldersshould consider the existing roadway geometrics. In order to be useful for bicycle travelshoulders and the adjacent travel lane need to be of adequate widths to provide a degreeof separation between the two modes, otherwise safety can be impaired by invitingmotorists to pass too closely to bicyclists that attempt to hug the outside edge of theroadway. In general a four-foot shoulder is desirable to provide adequate operatingspace for a bicyclist while allowing motorists unimpeded travel within the adjacent lane.On roads with curb and gutter, the gutter pan and the longitudinal joint effectivelyreduces the useable width of the shoulder and consideration needs to be given to thepaved width of the shoulder exclusive of the gutter pan. Realignment of Mass Bike Route1 (the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway) onto this improved route, complete with appropriatesignage would offer a more appealing route for long-distance bicyclists.Cost Estimate – On-road improvements, unit costs per mile:• Widening to add shoulders/bike lanes – $501,600.00Assumes adding shoulders along both sides of the road.Recommendations for Implementation – Opportunities should be sought to beginimplementing improvements through coordination with other construction andmaintenance projects. Routine pavement overlay and resurfacing projects shouldinclude shoulder paving for this route if adequate right of way exists or can be obtained.Maintenance needs to be considered so that the functionality of shoulders for bicyclingpurposes is retained since the natural sweeping action of vehicles often results in debrisaccumulating in the untraveled shoulder. In order to further develop an improvedcorridor and continuous route, and perhaps a resultant realignment of the ClaireSaltonstall Bikeway, any improvements should be coordinated with Projects 5.3.15 and5.3.17.Project 5.2.16: Evaluate Use of Unpaved Roads for Bike Path Connections inCape Cod National SeashoreProject Description – Within the National Seashore a number of unpaved roadscurrently exist which could be utilized to provide bicyclists with access to several popularbicycle trails. This would result in establishment of a unified network without having totravel on the more heavily traveled roadways, particularly Route 6, and which could beaccomplished with minimal improvements, resulting in a low cost enhancement to theexisting, but fragmented bicycle network in the Seashore.Cape Cod Regional Transportation Plan | August 2011Chapter 5: Bike & PedestrianPage 413