The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My Public Portal AboutBikeways: CCRT Crossing LightsBikeways Committee CPC Application Page 1 APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT FUNDING Date Application Submitted: Jan 20, 2017 Name of Project Applicant: Brewster Bikeways Committee Name of Co-Applicant(s), if applicable: Name of Contact Person: Susan Riseman, Chairperson Contact Person’s Mailing Address: 33 Derby Lane, Brewster, MA 02631 Contact Person’s Daytime Phone Number: 508 525-7331 Contact Person’s email Address: Susan.Riseman@fmr.com Proposed Project Name: Biking warning lights at CCRT crossings Project Address (or assessor’s parcel ID): Town of Brewster right-of-ways Project Synopsis: The Brewster Bikeways Committee proposes the purchase and installation of warning lights at each crossing of the Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT), the most popular recreational biking facility in Brewster. CPA funding for $100,000 is requested to purchase and install the equipment by a licensed contractor at the CCRT crossings at Rt. 124, Rt. 137, Underpass Road, and Millstone Road. The warning lights are solar-powered and have been installed at many locations on the CCRT crossings on Cape Cod. The Town’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will oversee the procurement and installation phases of the project and will be responsible for maintenance. This project is part of a broader effort to enhance biking in Brewster and part of the re-pavement program by the Town which includes improvements to CCRT crossings. Category: ☐ Open Space ☐ Historic Preservation X Recreation ☐ Community Housing CPA funding requested $ 100,000 Total Cost of Proposed Project $129,500 Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 2 Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 3 1. Project description The Brewster Bikeways Committee proposes the purchase and installation of warning lights at each crossing of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, the most popular recreational biking facility in Brewster. CPA funding for $100,000 is requested to purchase and install the equipment by a licensed contractor at the crossings at Rt. 124, Rt. 137, Underpass Road, and Millstone Road. The warning lights are solar-powered and have been installed at many locations on the CCRT crossings on Cape Cod. (One warning light may have to be direct feed, electrically powered because of insufficient access to direct sunlight, to be confirmed during the preparation of project specifications). A picture of similar equipment installed at the crossing on Rt. 124 in Harwich at Long Pond is attached. The Town’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will oversee the procurement and installation phases of the project and will be responsible for maintenance. This project is part of a broader effort to enhance biking in Brewster and complements the re- pavement program by the Town. The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) is the most significant biking infrastructure in Brewster and demonstrates its popularity with a variety of biking populations: young and old, individuals and families, and experienced and causal bicyclists. One has only to stop at a trail crossing on a summer weekend to see a large numbers of users of all types pass by, symbolic of the general interest in biking. Indeed, biking is already a part of the local economy with a number of businesses benefitting from the popularity of the Rail Trail and the bike traffic it generates. Recognizing this, the Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Action Plan calls for greater branding of Brewster as an ecotourism center and identifies expanding biking infrastructure as one of the pillars of the action plan. Further development of biking to key destinations and to shopping and restaurants will contribute to the Town’s economic development. Studies have documented a significant benefit to local businesses as biking is encouraged. A number of plans already recognize the importance of expanding biking opportunities in Town. In a citizen survey for the Brewster 2013 Open Space and Recreation Plan, over 60 percent of respondents identified bike trails as important, making them the fourth most requested facility. The Cape Cod Commission’s Regional Transport Plan identifies regional biking routes that could pass through Brewster, in part using the CCRT, and the Commission’s recent Livable Streets study for the eastern portion of Route 6A identifies ways to make that section of road more bike and pedestrian friendly. Expanding bike and pedestrian access to beaches was also identified as an important issue in the Brewster Coastal Advisory Group citizen survey. In April 2016, the Brewster Board of Selectmen formally adopted the Biking Brewster strategy, prepared by the Bikeways Committee. The strategy’s goals are to: 1. Expand recreational biking opportunities 2. Increase bike access to key destinations in Brewster 3. Establish links to regional bike routes 4. Enhance bike safety 5. Build public awareness of biking opportunities and safety Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 4 The proposed project is identified as a near-term action under Goal 4, Enhance bike safety, which calls for improving safety marking at key intersections, notably the CCRT crossings. In addition to the warning lights, the Bikeways Committee is planning other actions to build public awareness about bike safety. These may include providing safety information to residents and visitors when they obtain beach stickers at the Information Center, providing biking brochures including safety information at bike shops, and participating in an education program for J-1 visa holder summer employees at Ocean Edge. This action also complements the Town’s Department of Public Works Pavement Management Plan. The recently completed re-paving of Underpass Road included new pavement marking on CCRT crossings at Underpass Road (access ramp, stamped pavement and a stamped island) and Rt. 137 (access ramp, stamped pavement). The DPW expects to begin planning for the repaving of Millstone Road in 2017, a project which will also include enhancements to the CCRT crossing there, based on the Underpass Road model. 2. For Historic Preservation Projects: NA 3. CPA Goals/Criteria: Support multiple active and passive recreation uses: This project will support the thousands of both pedestrian and biking users of the CCRT, making their use of the CCRT safer by alerting vehicles at CCRT crossings. CCRT pedestrian and bike users often encounter dangerous interactions at the crossings because vehicle drivers are not prepared to yield to pedestrians and bikers, as required by state law. Serve significant numbers of residents and visitors: While there is no survey data on the number of pedestrians and bicyclists on the CCRT in Brewster, various sources, such as the Friends of the CC Rail Trial, have conservatively estimated the number in the tens of thousands. Area bike shops and hotels and resorts such as Ocean Edge, direct their clients to the CCRT as the primarily biking facility in Town. Expand recreational activities available to all ages of Brewster residents and visitors: By making the crossings safer, the project expands the access to the CCRT to those who may be fearful of less protected street crossings with potentially dangerous interactions with vehicles. Promote the use of alternative corridors that provide safe and healthy non-motorized transport: The primary objective of this project is to increase the safety of the CCRT as a corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians. 4. Community benefits: Improving the safety of the CCRT crossings will have both health and safety benefits as well as economic benefits. The project will enhance the “bike-ability” of the Town, a goal supported by several public plans and strategies and benefitting residents and visitors of all ages and biking abilities. Facilitating biking on the CCRT will also have the economic impact of benefiting the bike shops, restaurants, and other businesses within close proximity to the CCRT. Further, as the Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Plan describes, Brewster’s economic base is in the green sector and expanding bike and pedestrian uses supports that economic base. 5. Community support: As indicated in the Project description section, a number of recent surveys, including the Open Space Plan and the Beach Access Advisory Group, speak to the demand for improving bike access in Town. Planning documents such as the Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Plan and the Biking Brewster Strategy, adopted by the Board of Selectmen, further support enhancing bike use in Town. This project is supported by the Brewster Police Department, which oversees the safety and security of road and trail users and by the Department of Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 5 Public Works which is responsible for the physical management of the Town’s road networks and is currently undertaking road improvements under the Town’s Pavement Management Plan. Letters of support from both agencies are attached. 6. Timeline: Assuming approval at the May 2017 Annual Town Meeting, we foresee the following schedule for procurement and installation of the warning lights.  Develop bid specs June 2017  Bid announcement, opening July-August, 2017  Order August, 2017  Installation October- November 2017 7. Credentials: The project will be under the joint supervision of the Bikeways Committee and the Town’s Public Works Department. The DPW is responsible for the procurement of all Town contracts related to the Town’s road improvement, therefore has the required understanding of the public procurement process and technical qualifications to oversee the project. The Bikeways representative for installation will be Rick Scannevin, a licensed electrician. 8. Budget/Need for public funds: The various components of the initiative to improve safety at CCRT crossings are as follows. A) The estimated budget for the CPA-funded portion of the project, the purchase and installation of the warning lights, is as follows: Equipment $47,000 Installation $43,000 Contingency $10,000 Total $100,000 2016 quotes obtained by the Bikeways Committee for equipment purchase and installation are attached. B) The estimated costs for other crossing improvements ( stamped pavement, marking, other) funded under the Pavement Management Program by various town road improvement funds, based on the experience on Underpass Road are: Improvements per crossing: $7,000 Total at 4 crossings $28,000 C) The estimated costs for public safety messages and materials is $1,500, funded out of Bikeways Committee funds authorized by Town Meeting. A statement from the Town Accountant’s office on the status of the Bikeways account is attached. D) Summary Source Item Cost CPA funds Warning lights $100,000 Various town road funds Marking, stamped pavement, other $28,000 Bikeways funds Education materials $1,500 Total $129,500 Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 6 9. Maintenance: The maintenance requirements for the warning lights are minimal, generally consisting of checking the warning lights in May and October, cleaning the solar panels after the winter, and replacing the batteries once every seven yours at a cost of $300. The Town’s DPW will provide the maintenance for the crossing lights. 10. Site control: The lights are all located on existing Town rights-of-way, therefore no property acquisition is required. Attachments: 1. Picture for solar powered lights at Rt 124, Harwich 2. Quote for installation of crossing lights 3. Quote for purchase of crossing lights 4. Letter of support from Brewster Department of Public Works 5. Letter of Support from the Brewster Police Department 6. Bikeways account financial statement Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 7 Attachment 1: Solar powered warning light at CCRT/Rt 124 in Harwich Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 8 Attachment 2: Quote for installation Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 9 Attachment 3: Quote for equipment purchase Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 10 Attachment 4: Letter of Support Brewster DPW Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 11 Attachment 5: Letter of support Brewster Police Department Bikeways Committee CPC Application Page 12 Attachment 6: Bikeways account financial statement Parameters: Fiscal Year 2017 Start Date 7/1/2016 end: 01/17/2017 Ledger History - Varience - Expenditure Ledger Transfer: Journal Entry:Reciept:Payment: Account Number Budget Encumbered This Period To Date Allocated This Period To Date This Period To Date This Period To Date Ending % Var 001-050-100-122-1505-5380-200-99 4,841.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 A5 STM 5/15 Captl - Bikeway Safety Improvem 0.00 0.00 4,841.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,841.05 0.00 4,841.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1 Account(s) totaling 0.00 0.00 4,841.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,841.05 0.00