The rebuild of Route 28 between the Dennis line and Harwich Port runs on a schedule that takes the summer off. The state's phase pauses every year from Memorial Day to mid-September, and its project manager has said the work could take five years. The weekday detours that started October 5 are scheduled to run through May 2027. That means the stretch of Harwich used most in summer will be dug up mainly from fall to spring, and this is the first of those winters.
Why the work waits for cold weather
The Cape Cod Chronicle reported in August that the project comes in two phases. Phase one is run by MassDOT and covers the mile from the Herring River to the Dennis town line: new town water mains, a dry sewer system, a rebuilt roadway, new sidewalks and village amenities. Phase two is a town project that replaces old water mains from the east side of the Herring River to South Street in Harwich Port.
The two sources give different dollar figures because they count different things. The Chronicle put the combined road, water-main and dry-sewer work at $9 million. The Cape Cod Times reported that CC Construction of South Dennis won the state streetscape contract with a low bid of $13.8 million. That contract covers new signals and crosswalks, bike and pedestrian lanes, landscaping, decorative lighting and brick sidewalks. It also rebuilds the five-way intersection where Route 28 meets Upper County Road and Division Street on the Dennis-Harwich line. The finished road is meant to look like the Dennis Port section that was completed five years ago.
Under the pavement, the case for the work is simple. The resident engineer said at a public information session that this stretch has had six water main breaks since 2014. One in January 2018 took 21 hours to repair. A new 12-inch ductile main replaces older 6-, 8- and 10-inch pipe, along with new hydrants and gate valves. Doing the town's water and sewer work inside the state contract saves Harwich an estimated $700,000 to $900,000. The new sewer pipe will sit unused for a long time. The Chronicle reported that sewer use is slotted for phase four of the town's draft wastewater plan, which could be a decade away.
The weekday detour, turn by turn
MassDOT's detours run Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., between Upper County Road in Dennis and the Herring River, in both directions. The two routes are mirror images.
Westbound, toward Dennis:
- Turn left onto Riverside Drive.
- Turn right onto Lower County Road.
- Turn right onto Division Street and follow it back to Route 28.
Eastbound, toward Harwich Port:
- Turn right onto Division Street.
- Turn left onto Lower County Road.
- Turn left onto Riverside Drive and follow it back to Route 28.
The Harwich Water Department's Route 28 project page posts the week-by-week schedule. Its most recent update, for the week of October 19, has CC Construction finishing a 12-inch tie-in at Route 28 and Division Street, running main a short way along Division Street, and then installing hydrants on Route 28 between Riverside Drive and Division Street. A separate detour plan for the Division Street work was still under MassDOT review. If the state doesn't approve it, Division Street drops to one alternating lane with police details or flaggers. Once hydrant work starts, Route 28 traffic between Riverside Drive and Division Street goes around by Lower County Road. No water shutoffs are expected, and the onsite detail officer or flagger is supposed to keep driveways and business entrances open. For live conditions, the Times points drivers to Mass511.
East of the Herring River, the dig moves toward Harwich Port
The state phase stays west of the river. The town phase is the one that moves toward the village. Its contractor, Harwich-based Dig It Construction, planned to start at the Herring River and work east toward Harwich Port. Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the trench gets temporary pavement at the end of every day, and the plan is to keep working through the winter. The first steps were small. On October 19, Dig It was scheduled to dig at Sisson Road and Doane Road to install two insertion valves, with lane shifts at both spots that day and no more work planned for the rest of the week.
The end date depends on who you ask. The Chronicle reported a spring 2027 target. Water Superintendent Jason Trepanier told the Times the east section could take up to two years but might finish sooner. Once the new main is finished, Route 28 gets repaved curb to curb.
What's open along the corridor this off-season
The newest building on this stretch is facing its first winter while the work moves its way. Harwich Port Village Landing at 575 Route 28 opened in August with four commercial units on the ground floor and five short-term rental apartments upstairs. Its tenants include Style & Sea Boutique, a women's clothing store, and Charlie's Ice Cream Sandwich, which serves fresh-baked cookies with Gifford's ice cream. Three Harbors Coastal Kitchen, a 100-seat restaurant with a sidewalk patio and a fire pit on the east end, takes up most of the east side. Three Harbors is run by Frank Wiacek Jr. and Lauren Wiacek, who also own Milano's Italian Kitchen in West Harwich. The menu centers on local seafood, with homemade pasta and lobster hushpuppies.
Three Harbors' posted hours happen to line up with the work schedule. Its website lists weekday service from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., which starts just as the state's weekday detour window closes, and weekend hours from 11 a.m., with brunch on Sundays. The restaurant opened with a seasonal liquor license, so the posted hours are the thing to check as winter goes on.
Elsewhere along Route 28, the season is winding down in different ways:
- Cape Sea Grille on Sea Street in Harwich Port posts Wednesday-to-Saturday dinner hours, 5 to 9 p.m. It is closed Thanksgiving Day and closes for the winter on December 5.
- Ember says on its website that it serves food year-round and posts daily hours starting at 11:30 a.m.
- Sundae School's Harwich Port page says it has closed for the season and thanks customers for a great season.
- Brax Landing's homepage says it is closed for repairs until further notice.
The evenings and weekends the crews leave alone
The road crews work weekday daytime hours. Most of the late-fall calendar falls outside them.
At Brooks Free Library, the Halloween-week film series ends with Arsenic and Old Lace on Friday, October 30, from 1 to 3 p.m., and The Addams Family on Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. Classical guitarist Kevin Sherwin plays November 5 at 5:30 p.m. On November 13 at 1 p.m., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers comes in to tell the story of the Cape Cod Canal. The 204 holds a Studio Saturday open studio on November 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Cape Community Orchestra's free fall concert is Saturday, November 21, at 3 p.m. at Monomoy Regional High School, 75 Oak Street.
The biggest evening of the month has a new room. The 26th annual Toast of Harwich is the Harwich Chamber of Commerce's major annual fundraiser. This year it moves from the Wequassett Resort back to the Wychmere Harbor Room at Wychmere Beach Club, where it was held in its first few years. The date is Friday, November 20. VIP tickets are $120 for 6 p.m. entry, and general admission is $90 at 7 p.m. The event had grown big enough at the Wequassett to be split across two rooms. In the Chronicle's coverage, Chamber Executive Director Cyndi Williams explained the move:
"The move to Wychmere gives us the opportunity to be in one room altogether. It will be a new vibe while keeping the same ingredients with the restaurants and the beverages, and we'll be adding a few new ingredients to spice it up."
Everything happens in the big room that used to hold Thompson's Clam Bar, with the Boston Premier Band playing. Restaurants from this same stretch of Route 28 are on the list. Three Harbors Coastal Kitchen and Cape Sea Grille are pouring tasting plates alongside 400 East, Buca's Tuscan Roadhouse, Mooncussers, Red River Barbeque, Lanyard Bar and Grill, Sundae School, Sweet Izzy's and others.
Two weeks later, Christmas in Harwich runs December 4 to 6, according to the Chronicle's Harwich Chamber profile. On Friday at 5:30 p.m., the tree lighting at Doane Park features Rebecca Riley and the Harwich Elementary School chorus, and trolleys carry visitors past the holiday lights around Harwich Port. Saturday has Wequassett's Merry Market and fireworks. Sunday ends with Wychmere's Holiday Market. The Chamber's Seven Trees for Seven Villages tradition also continues, with a decorated tree in each village. The Saturday of that weekend, December 5, is also the date Cape Sea Grille's website gives for its winter closing.
The first winter of the Route 28 project probably won't be the last. The project's pace will show in the Water Department's weekly updates and in how far east Dig It's trench has moved by the time the state phase pauses for summer next Memorial Day.
If you have questions about how a multi-year road project like this one shapes daily life along a particular stretch of Harwich, O'Neill Group is glad to talk it through with you. Contact Us.
