Efforts to replace the Cape Cod bridges are finally gaining momentum. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Army Corps of Engineers a billion-dollar grant, bringing the total in awards to about half the project.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, Rep. Bill Keating, and Gov. Maura Healey have now secured more than $2 billion in federal and state funding to replace the two aging bridges, according to Sen. Warren’s press office.
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges are vital infrastructure for the Cape Cod community, as well as Islanders traveling on the mainland.
New bridge designs would potentially reduce crashes as much as 48 percent, the Warren press office reported. Shared-use paths are expected to ensure increased accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with mobility devices.
“Two years ago, we had zero dollars in funding for these bridges,” Sen. Warren is quoted in a press release. “Now, thanks to my work with Sen. Markey, Rep. Keating, Gov. Healey, and the rest of the delegation, we have more than $2 billion in state and federal funds to replace these bridges for our Cape Cod communities.”
The grant money, said Markey, is thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “With this grant, the Biden administration continues to demonstrate that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for Massachusetts and the entire country,” he said.
“The new Sagamore Bridge will be more than just a connection between two sides of the Canal,” Keating is quoted in a release. “It is a lifeline for the quarter of a million people who live on Cape Cod, and the economic driver that brings workers and tourists back and forth every day.”
Rebuilding of the Sagamore Bridge, NBC Boston reports, is projected to be completed by 2034, with the Bourne Bridge project finishing 18 months later.
