Bourne ConCom Approves Extension For Belmont Circle Construction
The Bourne Conservation Commission recently approved an extension to the order of conditions for ongoing construction at Belmont Circle in Buzzards Bay. The work is intended to make the rotary more bicycle-friendly.
The construction at Belmont Circle on the east end of the village was placed on pause during the Cape’s busy season over the summer. The heavily trafficked rotary is where vehicles traveling along Route 28, Route 25 and Main Street converge near the Bourne Bridge.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division requested the extension ahead of the December 17 expiration date for the original order of conditions issued in 2019. During the commission’s meeting on September 15, conservation agent Stephanie Fitch said the project is still under construction and is looking at an estimated completion date of September 10, 2023, and therefore needs an extension to the order of conditions for one year.
The scope of improvements for the rotary includes a 10-foot-wide, shared-use path for both pedestrians and bicycles, new signaling for pedestrians, crosswalks, striping and a widening of the shoulder where Scenic Highway intersects with the rotary. All of this is being done with the protection of the circle’s wetlands—located on the inner part of the traffic circle—in mind.
There was little discussion amongst commission members on the topic, and Mass DOT’s request was approved unanimously.