Planning for Cape Cod’s transportation future 

Many years of planning, design, and funding are necessary before placing shovels in the ground for road work projects across Cape Cod.   

The Cape Cod Commission's Transportation department serves as staff to the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and its advisory group, the Cape Cod Joint Transportation Committee (CCJTC). The MPO oversees regional transportation planning and recommends the distribution of state and federal transportation funds on Cape Cod.   

Each year, as directed by the MPO, Commission Transportation staff prepare the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), documents that help guide the use of state and federal transportation funds in the region.   

The TIP includes major transportation projects planned in the next five years that address safety and congestion concerns for all modes of transportation, such as intersection reconstruction, multi-use path construction, and the purchase of new buses for the regional bus service. Funding comes from a combination of state and federal sources, totaling more than $430 million over the five-year plan.  

The draft 2024-2028 TIP includes projects proposed in thirteen Cape Cod towns, such as sidewalk installation on Route 28 to Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich, an extension of the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Yarmouth and Barnstable, improvements to Provincetown's Shank Painter Road, and installation of a median along the Route 6 Scenic Highway in Bourne.   

The UPWP lists planning activities that staff anticipates performing over the next year. Projects listed in the UPWP address safety and congestion concerns for all transportation modes, data collection efforts, corridor and intersection studies, safety studies, bicycle planning initiatives, and coastal resiliency projects. Funding comes from a combination of state and federal sources, typically around $900,000 annually.   

The draft 2024 UPWP includes a study of parking and circulation in Downtown Chatham, an interchange safety analysis, and an inventory of existing sidewalks and pedestrian amenities at or near Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority bus stops and multi-family housing facilities.  

The MPO met virtually on April 24, 2023 and voted to release the draft TIP and UPWP for a 21-day public comment.

Read more about the public comment process here.

Public comments are due by May 15, 2023. The MPO will review comments and finalize the plans during their meeting on May 22, 2023.  

Meeting details and further information on the TIP and UPWP can be found by visiting www.capecodcommission.org/transportation.