Comprised of a representative on each of the 15 towns within Barnstable County, the Cape Cod Joint Transportation Committee (CCJTC) is the regional transportation planning advisory group to the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO).   The CCMPO membership consists of representatives from the Cape Cod Commission, the Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway), the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation, the Barnstable County Commissioners, and the Barnstable Town Council. It also includes a representative from three “sub-regions” of Cape Cod. The group’s primary responsibility is to prioritize transportation projects that will use State and Federal funds dedicated to Cape Cod. The Cape Cod Transportation Improvement Program (CCTIP) is the document voted by the CCMPO that outlines the prioritization and dedication of those funds.

Through monthly public meetings held the first Friday of every month, the CCJTC provides a mechanism for open discussion and participation by local officials and citizenry in the planning of transportation projects and the development of the CCTIP.

The distribution of State and Federal funding requires intense scrutiny and lengthy project reviews by MassHighway. It takes years for a local project to successfully move from concept to design and eventually construction.  Town of Dennis projects that continue to move through this process, albeit slowly, include: the Reconstruction of Swan River Road; the westerly extension of the Cape Cod Rail Trail; the replacement of the Upper County Road Bridge over Swan Pond River; and safety improvements to the Rte 134 corridor. It was our hope that construction on Swan River Road and the Upper County Road Bridge would have commenced in 2006. In January of 2006, our consultant, Fay Spofford & Thorndike Inc, completed final design plans and bid specifications for Swan River. MassHighway originally scheduled the opening of construction bids for June 2006, but has twice postponed the opening; once to November 2006 and now to March 2007. Given the time needed to review all bids and finalize contracts I do not anticipate a construction start-up earlier than fall of 2007. Because of funding constrictions, MassHighway has also delayed reconstruction work on the Upper County Road Bridge until 2010.

During 2006, the Towns of Dennis and Yarmouth held several public meetings to gather public input relative to the westerly extension of the Cape Cod Rail Trail. These meetings were well attended by the residents of both towns. Comments were generally favorable with very positive responses to the option of a bridge crossing of Route 134 as opposed to a tunnel. In May 2007 the project consultants will submit a feasibility study to the Towns with recommendations that will allow the project to move forward to final design.  

Respectfully submitted,

Joseph A. Rodricks, P.E.

Dennis Representative- CCJTC