Transportation
Cape Cod Bridge Replacement Program Receives $1B FHWA Grant
The Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation plans to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges with twin arch designs.
Rendering courtesy MassDOT
Massachusetts is set to receive nearly $1 billion from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation for the Cape Cod Bridge Program, state officials announced July 12. The program plans to replace two bridges connecting the cape to mainland Massachusetts at an estimated cost of $4.5 billion.
The Sagamore Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 6 and a bicycle path, and the Bourne Bridge, which carries State Route 28, are the only road crossings over the Cape Cod Canal. Both arch bridges were built in the 1930s and are now considered functionally obsolete, according to the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation.
The bridges are owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But under the terms of an agreement between the state and the Corps, MassDOT will be responsible for the replacement projects and the state will own the new bridges.
MassDOT plans to replace both bridges with twin arch bridges based on public feedback and to further its goals of improving safety and reducing construction impacts by separating traffic in opposite directions. The new bridges would also include shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists. Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Massachusetts transportation secretary, said in a statement that the grant money will go toward the Sagamore replacement and help “lay the groundwork” to replace the Bourne.
“With this additional funding, we can move forward in bringing these transportation improvement projects to life, which will have an impact on generations to come,” she said.
The Sagamore Bridge replacement will be fully offset, allowing travelers to continue using the existing bridge during construction, according to MassDOT. The arch spans would likely be fabricated off-site. Officials say they plan to sign a project labor agreement for the work.
The grant money comes from the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program, funded by 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“With this critical funding for the Cape Cod bridge replacement project, we are seeing first-hand how the Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act directly benefits the people of the commonwealth,’ said Frank Callahan, president of the Massachusetts Building Trades Unions, in a statement.
On the same day, officials also announced a $1.5-billion grant from the program to replace a bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington and smaller grants for other projects.
Massachusetts has so far secured $1.7 billion in federal funding for the project, according to Gov Maura Healey’s office. Last year, US DOT awarded Massachusetts a $372-million Federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant for the bridge replacements, and federal lawmakers included $350 million for the project in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act.
As part of the agreement between Massachusetts and the Corps, the state committed to providing $700 million for the project, and the Corps to provide $600 million subject to appropriation by Congress.
State officials said they are pursuing additional federal money to fund phases of the project, including the Bourne Bridge replacement.
“We’ve never been closer to rebuilding the Cape Cod bridges than we are right now,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
The plans are currently undergoing the environmental review and permitting process.
