Imagine A Line Of Dump Trucks 35 Miles Long

To the editor: One negative impact of the proposed expansion of the geotubes has not yet received appropriate public attention: the trucking of 312,000 tons of sand across the island. While traffic concerns are outside the purview of the Conservation Commission, they are squarely within the Select Board’s. That’s why this matter is on their agenda for discussion this Wednesday, April 1.

The sheer volume of truck traffic required for geotube expansion is hard to imagine. Our independent estimate is that all-in, about 107,000 cy of sand will be required in year one, with another 35,000 cy for each year the geotubes remain on the beach. In total, the anticipated sand requirement over the five-year life of the permit translates to 312,000 tons of sand, or 14,000 truckloads. That’s a lot of numbers, but here’s a simple way to think about it: parked nose-to-tail, that’s a continuous line of dump trucks 35 miles long, from Hyannis to Sconset.

SBPF expects to source much of this sediment from off-island sand pits, barging it to Steamboat Wharf and trucking it across the island to Sconset. Their delivery plan would route trucks through town to Milestone Road, then through Sconset’s side streets to dump sites on Baxter Road.

SBPF’s solution to the traffic issue is to schedule construction in the off-season. While this strategy might minimize inconvenience for seasonal residents and summer visitors, it poses challenges for construction (when the beach is at its narrowest), and it would concentrate the noise, vibration, fumes and general nuisance felt by year-rounders, just when the island is typically at its most peaceful.

While every resident would be affected to some degree, the disruption would be most acute for those who directly abut the truck route. Based on town GIS and public voting records, about 250 active voters live on SBPF’s proposed truck route. These folks might want to know that if this project moves forward, a dump truck will be passing by their home 18-20 times/hour (9-10 roundtrips/hour) during the four-month construction window, and 28,000 times (14,000 roundtrips) over the next five years.

This extraordinary volume of heavy truck traffic across the island will disproportionately affect year-round residents. So we ask: is it equitable to impose lasting impacts on the community for a project that benefits a relatively small number of private interests? Especially when the only real lasting solution – alternative access to northern Baxter Road – is now 100 percent designed and has begun the permitting process?

Please pay attention to the discussion at the Select Board meeting this Wednesday. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. Submit your comments in writing. Participate in the meeting virtually via Zoom. Better yet, attend the meeting in person. We need to pay attention. Thank you.

Burton (Spruce) Balkind

President, Nantucket Coastal Conservancy