Provincetown Proposes New Car-Free Trail

In Provincetown, Massachusetts, “for over half a century, an orphaned four-lane divided highway – Route 6 – has cut off the town of 3,000 people from the sand dunes, trails, and beaches that lie to the north of the highway.” Now, Christian MilNeil writes in Streetsblog Mass, “the town and MassDOT are planning to connect downtown Provincetown with the trail network of the Cape Cod National Seashore by cutting Route 6 in half.”

The project would connect to downtown Provincetown and provide a new link for pedestrians and cyclists. “On the mile-long segment of Route 6 between Provincetown’s Shank Painter Road and the beach, the northern side of the divided highway – what are currently the two westbound highway lanes – will be converted into a normal two-lane roadway. The other half – what are currently the eastbound lanes – will be trimmed down to create a 16-foot-wide car-free path.”

At the same time, MassDOT and the town are planning to add pedestrian infrastructure and upgrades to Shank Painter Road, “a major cross-town route that currently lacks any sidewalks along most of its length.” Officials also envision a future connection to the Cape Cod Rail Trail.