The state of Massachusetts is making progress in securing the necessary funds to repair two deteriorating bridges that link Cape Cod with the rest of the state.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation have obtained over $1 billion in additional federal funds for the building of the replacement spans over the Cape Cod Canal, as Governor Maura Healey revealed on Friday. The money was part of a bipartisan effort to invest in bridges.
In addition to the $700 million in state funds that the Healey administration had promised, the additional $1 billion takes the total amount of federal funding secured for the project to about $1.72 billion.
It is projected that replacing both bridges will cost a total of about $4.5 billion.
“This is a game-changing award for Massachusetts. We’ve never been closer to rebuilding the Cape Cod Bridges than we are right now. This funding will be critical for getting shovels in the ground,” Healey stated.
With five million tourists visiting each year, Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are popular tourist attractions with 263,000 permanent residents.
The bridges are currently owned and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, who claim that they are approaching the end of their useful lives, structurally flawed, and functionally obsolete.
The corps has issued a warning, stating that one of the spans will need to be entirely closed for maintenance for eighteen months if they are not rebuilt within the next few years.
Prioritizing the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge over the Bourne is the plan. The state department of transportation will own, maintain, and run the constructed bridges after the project is completed.
In 1933, work on both projects started. The replacement project is expected to generate 9,000 new construction employment.
The state received $372 million from the Federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program last year for the purpose of replacing the bridge. The Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024 provided an additional $350 million to the state.
According to Healey, her government is still looking for federal funding to assist in covering the costs of the project’s subsequent stages, which include replacing the Bourne Bridge.
Cape Cod is included in the district of Democratic U.S. Representative Bill Keating, who stated that the most recent government award is the result of more than ten years of work.
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“The new Sagamore Bridge will be more than just a connection between two sides of the canal, 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,” Keating stated.
Between the two bridges, the Sagamore sees more traffic and is involved in roughly 56% of all bridge crashes. Wider lanes, quick bus service, and access for bicycles and pedestrians will all be features of the rebuilt Sagamore Bridge.
There will also be a shared pathway for pedestrians and bikes on the rebuilt Bourne Bridge.
