Most Of Amelia Drive Will Become A One-Way Street In Trial Period

A portion of Amelia Drive will soon be a one-way street, at least temporarily.

The Select Board approved a pilot project making a portion of the side street one-way, with traffic flowing toward Ticcoma Way. The pilot initiative will run until January. The change only applies to the portion of Amelia Drive between Waitt Drive and Ticcoma Way. The part of the street above Waitt Drive, including the parking lot for the Nantucket Meat and Fish Market, will remain two-way.

The busy side road is home to numerous businesses, but it has been a source of frustration for motorists as the on-street parking does not leave enough room for cars to pass each other going in opposite directions. The pilot will be reviewed at the Select Board’s first meeting in January, and the board will decide at that time whether to make the change permanent.

A survey of area residents and businesses found “significant support for piloting a short-term one-way option,” according to transportation program manager Mike Burns.

While there was some concern about the impact of traffic on Ticcoma Way, especially once the Ticcoma Green affordable housing development is complete and occupied, the Select Board ultimately voted unanimously in favor of the pilot, which is expected to generally improve traffic flow in the area.

Select Board member Matt Fee suggested that the change could be the first step in a broader plan to change how traffic moves through the area, which might include making other connectors one-way as well.

“Our planning should be to open these up and to have them going back and forth in a grid pattern,” he said. “We've got a lot of work to do, but this would be a good first step.”