During the May 9, 2026 FY27 budget session, the Mayor and Council discussed the ongoing one-way safety pilot on Route 769C (Quincy/Newton Street) being conducted with the State Highway Administration (SHA). Pilot funding for temporary barriers has been depleted; SHA has indicated it can purchase replacement barriers but expects the Town to provide manpower for installation and maintenance as damage occurs. The Mayor highlighted that the Town is about two years away from a larger infrastructure and road reconstruction project on this stretch and wants to avoid reverting to a two-way road given increased pedestrian and bicycle usage. Town leadership floated adding temporary or part-time public works support and asked staff to research models where state agencies reimburse municipalities for services such as street sweeping. They requested pricing and research on a reimbursable-support model be brought back in the new budget year. This creates an opening for engineering, transportation planning, and public works service vendors to help the Town plan and deliver the interim safety operations and the eventual capital reconstruction, including design, traffic engineering, construction management, and maintenance strategies.

The Town wants to maintain a positive partnership with SHA and is open to reimbursable service model...