Improving safety along Station Avenue 

Schools, shopping, healthcare, access to the Cape Cod Rail Trail and Route 6 – Yarmouth's Station Avenue is a well-traveled roadway traversed by a variety of different users for many different reasons. Its popularity means it is frequently congested, and unfortunately the thoroughfare lacks sufficient bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. To address these and other safety concerns, the Town of Yarmouth is working with the Cape Cod Commission to finalize the recommendations for the Station Avenue corridor study.  

As part of the project, Cape Cod Commission staff conducted a detailed review of existing conditions and a safety analysis for the Station Avenue corridor, collecting extensive data, including traffic counts, a roadway inventory, and existing zoning and land uses of the surrounding area. Staff performed a Roadway Safety Audit at the high-crash intersection of Station Ave and White’s Path/Workshop Road in October 2023 to identify potential short- and long-term safety improvement solutions throughout the corridor.  

The study resulted in a host of potential improvement options for the corridor, developed with active community participation and review and consultation with Town staff. The report includes key short- and long-term recommendations designed to increase safety, reduce congestion, and accommodate all users, including vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. 

Short- and mid-term recommendations include lighting improvements, crosswalk installation with a pedestrian hybrid beacon at the Cape Cod Rail Trail parking lot, consideration of an all-way stop at the Wood Road intersection, and a flashing beacon at the crosswalk in front of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School and St. Pius X church.  

Long-term recommendations include installing a traffic signal or roundabout at the Route 6 ramps, reconstruction of the White’s Path and Workshop Road intersection, and various sidewalk and shared-use path installations.  

Understanding that transportation and land use planning are inextricably linked, it may appropriate to refine or revise long-term recommendations as additional information about redevelopment activities in the area becomes available. Ultimately, major transportation investments should both benefit the travelling public and serve to support and enhance the vitality of the community. 

The next steps focus on collaboration between the Town of Yarmouth and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to prioritize implementation of the short-term improvements to improve safety of the Route 6 interchanges and the other study area intersections.  

Learn more by visiting: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/station-avenue-corridor-study/