“It has been excellent for us,’’ Bob Johnson, owner of the company, said of the flyover. “We go to Provincetown every day. We go from Sagamore to Buzzards Bay. Before, you couldn’t do it on a weekend.’’
When the flyover was proposed by Governor Mitt Romney’s administration in 2003, there was plenty of pessimism. Some business owners in Sagamore, a village in the town of Bourne, feared the new configuration would hurt their sales by diverting potential customers away from their establishments.
As it turns out, they were mostly wrong. While a handful of businesses may have been disadvantaged by the road layout, many others report the flyover has given them a boost.
In 2005, when construction was underway and the area around the bridge resembled a desert, McDonald’s representatives questioned whether their restaurant next to the rotary would be able to stay. Today, McDonald’s is planning a major expansion at the site.
“Our customers comment that it is much easier to access McDonald’s since construction of the flyover,’’ said Art Rico, Boston region operations manager for the fast-food chain. “It has improved egress from and entrance onto the highway for everyone driving in the area, and business has improved since the flyover was finished.’’
Marie Oliva, president of the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce, said: “The long and short of it is that it has been a resounding success. The queues of traffic going over the bridge are shorter now, and on some roads there are virtually no queues.’’
While the road configuration is dramatically different now, the businesses that operated there in the past are in the same locations. They include Shell and Mobil gas stations, the Ye Olde Spirit Shoppe liquor store, and a Dunkin’ Donuts shop, in addition to McDonald’s and Friendly’s restaurants.
A Cape Cod Canal Chamber visitors center opened next to the McDonald’s, and a commuter parking lot was relocated.
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