MPO’s draft UPWP prioritizes Station Avenue corridor study, safety audits and EV charging inventory

Cape Cod Commission staff presented the draft 2023 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), a one‑year plan that outlines the region’s major transportation planning work and associated funding, and the MPO voted to release the draft for a 21‑day public comment period.

The UPWP funds five task areas: management and support of planning and certification; data collection and analysis (including traffic counts and pavement inventory); targeted studies (Station Avenue corridor study, roadway safety audits and a side‑path crossing inventory); technical assistance including transit planning; and regulatory reviews such as DRI and large‑development transportation reviews. "The funding this year for the UPWP is a little over $900,000," staff said.

Key proposed projects include:

• Station Avenue corridor study: staff described a corridor study from Route 6 interchanges (Exit 75/old Exit 8) south to Regional Avenue with an emphasis on improving safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, including extensive public outreach and coordination with the Cape Cod Rail Trail head and nearby schools.

• Roadway safety audits and non‑motorist crash analysis: staff proposed audits near Route 28 at the Bell Tower Mall (Centerville) and Station Avenue at White's Path (Yarmouth), plus a regional analysis of non‑motorist crashes to identify contributing factors and locations.

• Side‑path crossing inventory: an extension of the recently completed trail crossing inventory to assess crossing distance, signage, crash history, and roadway volumes along shared‑use paths (examples: Route 28 in Hyannis, Route 151 in Mashpee).

• Climate Action Plan implementation and EV charging inventory: staff will update the existing EV charger siting analysis, inventory new charger locations on the web viewer and assist towns pursuing low‑lying road resiliency projects.

Members asked staff to collect granular EV station usage data (days/hours of peak use) to inform future coordination with utility rates and time‑varying pricing. Staff said they will include public outreach activities (in‑person and virtual) during the 21‑day comment period and return to the MPO on May 23 with a public comment summary and final UPWP for endorsement.

No final funding or policy decisions were made at the meeting; the vote released the draft for public review and staff will incorporate comments before the May meeting.