New and recycled granite curb accents Beach Road project
Motorists and pedestrians passing along Beach Road may have noticed the granite curbing being installed on the roadside doesn’t all look the same — some sections are smoother, some are rough-hewn. This is because some granite curbing is being recycled. “The project calls to reuse the existing granite curb, which is common practice on roadway reconstruction projects,” Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) spokesperson Judith Reardon Riley wrote. “MassDOT specifications call for small or damaged pieces to be discarded, and the larger, sound pieces are reused. Crews attempt to reuse this aged granite in continuous runs. New granite is required at the wheelchair ramp and driveway transitions, as older sidewalks did not have transition stones existing at these locations.” At one point on Beach Road near a small beach next to Tisbury Wharf, contractors could be seen last week installing unusually tall-looking sections of curb into the road edge. Reardon Riley wrote that 36-i