Turning Hyannis Main Street into a 'Great Street'

Denise Coffey, Cape Cod Times
·2 min read

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was changed on Jan. 12, 2023, to update the location of the Jan. 25 presentation.

HYANNIS ― The public can help shape the future of downtown Hyannis by contributing comments and ideas to the Great Streets Downtown Hyannis project.

Related:What can make downtown Hyannis great? This city planner has big ideas.

On Jan. 25, the town of Barnstable will present design concepts showing how Main Street might be transformed into a safer, more pedestrian-, driver- and public transit-friendly hub for Cape Cod.

The Great Streets project focuses on an area bounded by North and South streets, and the rotary at West Main Street to Lewis Bay Road. The project, which began in late November, is being supported by Speck & Associates and Stantec Consulting Services. The team was retained by the town of Barnstable to update the vision for how downtown Main Street and surrounding streets and intersections could be improved to emphasize walkability and improve traffic flow and safety, including that of public transportation.

Drivers head down Main Street near the intersection of Old Colony Road and Center Street on Dec. 8, 2022. Officials are looking for people to weigh in with suggestions for making downtown Hyannis better.
Drivers head down Main Street near the intersection of Old Colony Road and Center Street on Dec. 8, 2022. Officials are looking for people to weigh in with suggestions for making downtown Hyannis better.

A series of street design concepts based on municipal planning best practices and comments from the community will be shared at the public meeting, according to a press release from Elizabeth Jenkins, director of planning for Barnstable. The concepts will demonstrate how various streets and intersections in Hyannis could look once redesigned, including the potential for restoring two-way traffic flow to downtown.

There will be a formal presentation from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Barnstable High School cafeteria at 744 West Main St. The entrance is through the school gymnasium. Attendees will be able to ask the consultants questions and comment on the designs.

Comments gathered through this event will directly inform the street designs that could be built in the near future. For more information about the meeting contact Jenkins at elizabeth.jenkins@town.barnstable.ma.us or 508-862-4678.

Contact Denise Coffey at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

Stay connected with Cape Cod news, sports, restaurants and breaking news.  Download our free app.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Turning Main Street into a great street requires community feedback