MATTAPOISETT— Plans to redevelop Old Slough Road as an evacuation route have made inroads following  the Mattapoisett Select Board’s approval of the project’s design on Tuesday, March. 14.

The reconstruction of Old Slough Road was proposed by the Mattapoisett Select Board, fire department, highway department and land trust to provide an accessible emergency route for residents of Point Connett and Angelica Point.

Flooding along Angelica Avenue would leave around 130 households stranded and emergency services unable to access the area, according to Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco. 

To solve this problem, the town proposed restoring the 213-year-old path that is currently unpaved, narrow and muddy.

“The marsh on Angelica Ave, if that floods out, they’ve got no way of getting the people out,” said Mattapoisett Conservation Commission Member David Lawrence during a January meeting. “I’m not saying it's ever flooded before, but I think it’s a good project.”

The project is estimated to cost over $600,000.

The Select Board approved of the original plan with minimal changes. According to Town Administrator Michael Lorenco, the new plan shifts a section of Old Slough Road by approximately 200 feet.

Lorenco said that the change of plans was made to minimize the road’s effect on surrounding wetlands. 

“It more or less looks like the same plan we have been looking at since day one,” said Select Board Chair Tyler Mcallister.

According to Lorenco, the next steps in the project are finalizing the plans with the Conservation Commission and putting the project out to bid to contractors.