Residents of Cape Cod town loved by the Kennedys are fuming over 'dangerous' plan for downtown

Plans to revitalize a neighborhood in a town beloved by the Kennedys has sparked fury among locals. A six-point intersection in Hyannis, Cap...

Plans to revitalize a neighborhood in a town beloved by the Kennedys has sparked fury among locals.

A six-point intersection in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is slated for redesign as a roundabout which is aimed at slowing drivers down but residents fear it could cause dangerous problems.

Last month the plans, known as the Great Streets Downtown Hyannis project, were presented at the town hall, located down the street from the intersection.

Local Joy Adams told the Cape Cod Times she feared it was dangerous as she had concerns about the number of people crossing to get on and off the ferry terminals and feared for elderly and disabled residents living nearby who cross in the area.

Adams made her stance clear: 'Stopping at a light is better than a rotary.'

Resident Sandra Povics agreed that the roundabout posed safety concerns because of the distance between the South Street crosswalk and the entry to the rotary, implying there wouldn't be room for cars to stop.

She further explained that without the lights to stop traffic, crossing would be hazardous.

Director of planning and development James Kupfer and town engineer Griffin Beaudoin, explained how the rotary would narrow the lanes of North, Main, and South streets and also add bike lanes to South and North streets, which would result in slower traffic.

The design of the project was developed by gathering the public's opinions and analyzing data on traffic patterns.

A workshop was held, and three presentations of the plans were given, providing locals with an opportunity to provide feedback.

The planners ultimately chose the rotary design from four options.  

Kupfer told the outlet: 'The data and public input reflect this is the best alternative.'

Kupfer and Beaudoin were questioned at last month's meeting about accommodations for the disabled to which Beaudoin replied that curb ramps would be replaced, and the Main Street parking spaces would see improvements.

The town estimates that construction will begin in fall 2026 and is expected to be completed by spring 2027.

Beaudoin estimated that the project could cost around $6 million.

The roundabout would also result in other improvements including 4,000 square feet of green space to be added.

There's also plans to add 33 loading zones for delivery trucks, buffer zones, and reconfiguring the North Street parking lot to create 45 additional spaces.

The town, which is beloved by the Kennedys and still has their family compound, has undergone a number of improvements in the last two years including an anonymous $2 million donation to renovate its public library.

Kate Storey, editor at Rolling Stone, interviewed 120 people for her book, White House by the Sea, and asked about the Kennedys' connection to Hyannis.

Storey told Business Insider: 'The pressure and the history there I felt like would be a lot.'

The author added: 'But for many of them, it's just where the family is, a lot of the ones who are parents now. It's how their kids know their cousins, because they go to Hyannis Port.'

The Kennedys arrived in Hyannis in 1928. 

They purchased a white shingled home on a dead-end street for $25,000 and called it the Big House.

The family doubled the home in size and added a movie theater to it.

The Kennedy children spent their summers playing sports, attending dances, and racing sailboats. Some of the Kennedys still spend time on the compound.

The town also has a John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.

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