Officials from the state Department of Transportation asked the Board of Selectmen Tuesday to consider taking ownership of a section of Cranberry Highway slated for reconstruction.

The reconstruction of the 2.2 miles of Routes 6 & 28 in East Wareham -- from the point where the two highways join just west of the Stop & Shop plaza to the Bourne line-- has been discussed for nearly two decades.

Project manager Joe Magni said the state committed to the project when Route 25 was completed back in the late '80s, bypassing the stretch of Wareham highway that had previously been the most direct road to Cape Cod from points west.

Representatives requested the town manage the stretch of roadway, adding that the construction of the project would not be impacted by the decision.

“We are looking for an agreement with the town,” said Pamela Haznar, District Project Development Engineer for the Department of Transportation. “[The construction] is not contingent on the agreement, but it has been an understanding" that the town would take over ownership of the road.

Selectman Steve Holmes questioned if the town would receive help from the state to maintain the roadway.

“We don’t have the equipment to plow the road,” he noted.

Hazner said in the past when the state transferred ownership of a roadway it has worked with communities in order to maintain it, including providing means for snow removal.

Hazner said the state would like the town to make a decision before a public hearing is scheduled on the project.

The $15 million project will include road widening and reconstruction. The upgrades  include a cement median strip, bike lanes, sidewalks, and "loons" at all traffic lights to facilitate U-turns.

The state will pick up 20% of the project's cost and the federal government 80%. The estimated two-year long construction is expected to begin in spring 2013, Magni said.