by Jeff Shaw
Who would have thought building a sidewalk would be such a contentious issue?
It turns out that sidewalks may be the third rail of Cape Cod politics! At the very least, opposing views make for entertaining reading via letters to the editor.
I live on a street without a sidewalk, though my previous address was located in a neighborhood with sidewalks. While safety – physical separation, usually raised, between pedestrians from vehicular traffic – is the purpose of a sidewalk, they also come with responsibility. In most municipalities, if a sidewalk exists in front of your home, you are responsible for making it passable for others. Cue the snowstorms of 2011, 2012 (and maybe 2014, if memory serves), where residents had to clear sidewalks caked with feet of heavy snow. Generally, sidewalks must be clear anywhere from 24 to 72 hours depending on local ordinances or storm severity, or risk citation.
Expedited snow or debris removal is not the leading cause of opposition to sidewalks in Brewster or Harwich Port, cost and changes to the landscape are.
The sidewalk project in Harwich Port is much less contentious than the one in Brewster. First, it is a small project. A sidewalk is only to be built on the water side of Route 28, the length of which is only a 0.5 mile. The cost of the project is $1.6 million. In comparison, the length of the Millstone Road project in Brewster is almost 3 miles, at a projected cost of $6 million. A dedicated bicycle lane is also part of the Millstone sidewalk project.
Second, the short stretch of roadway in Harwich Port passes bustling commercial areas. The sidewalk project on Millstone Road is almost entirely located in a residential corridor. In Harwich Port, on one end of the sidewalk project is Saquatucket Harbor, known for fishing charters and popular dockside dining, whether the grab and go cafe or Brax Landing Restaurant. The middle section includes a peek-a-boo view as well as access to the stunning Wychmere Harbor (site of former Thompson’s Clam Bar). Finally, the other end is the gateway to downtown Harwich Port with Sundae School Ice Cream and Ember’s Bar and Grill.
Finally, a well-worn walking path already exists through multiple lawns along Route 28. (Probably to the annoyance of local private property owners. Indeed, not a good look.) While building a six-foot-wide sidewalk will improve safety for walkers and drivers, it will also enhance the landscape more than the well worn path can, even if local property owners lose a piece of their land in the process.
The project is already approved and work is expected to begin next spring.
June 9, 2023