The funding for an intersection improvement project where Swifts Beach Road and Route 6 meet may be moved out of Fiscal Year 2024 to a later date.

The project would include a left turn lane to be placed at the intersection, the installation of a traffic light and reconstructed sidewalks and other sections of roadway geometry. 

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation planned for the project to be funded through the 2024 Transportation Improvement Program, a collection of federally-funded transportation projects. It planned for construction to begin in winter of 2024-25, according to the project's information page. 

According to department spokesperson John Goggin, the project schedule "has not been modified, and MassDOT is proceeding with late 2024 as the estimated start for construction."

However, other sources say the project may be moved out of the 2024 Transportation Improvement Program, to a later date. 

Ken Buckland, Director of Planning and Community Development, said the reset goal for the date from the department was 2026. 

“This is typical of state projects,” Buckland said — their dates can change as things get moved around and priorities get reset. 

The department gave a presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at a sub-committee meeting of the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District. 

According to Lisa Estrela, the District's Transportation Planning Manager, the department wants to move funding for the project out of the Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation Improvement Program.

"Project programming relies heavily on the readiness [of the project]," said Estrela. "As the project is currently at the 75% design stage, it is unlikely that it will be ready to be advertised [to potential construction contractors] in Federal Fiscal Year 2024."

Estrela said the project will be proposed for removal in March and voted on in April. 

District Commissioner and Wareham Select Board Member Alan Slavin, said he was concerned the project’s construction may be delayed, saying that the department suggested moving the project to 2026 or 2027.

Slavin said at a Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20 that a SRPEDD meeting earlier on that day established a compromise between the department and the district, which will leave the project in 2025. "Not happy, but it's the best I can do, and if it was 2027, it would be a real problem."