Grant Application Denied For Bourne, Sagamore Bridge Replacement

CAPE COD, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were dealt a blow when it comes to funding the Bourne and Sagamore Bridge replacement projects.

The organizations requested $1.882 billion from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration's first round of Bridge Investment Program grants, but the bridge replacement project wasn't one of the four selected on Wednesday.

In total, the project is estimated to cost nearly $4 billion, and the $1.882 billion requested would have represented 47 percent of those costs, officials said.

Of the projects that did receive funding, only one garnered over $1 billion in funding. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will receive $1.385 billion to rehabilitate and reconfigure the existing Brent Spence Bridge, which connects the Kentucky and Ohio communities along the Ohio River, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation news release.

But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did receive some funding in the form of a $1.6 million Bridge Planning grant to support the advancement of that project, the release said.

Still, Massachusetts officials were less than pleased with the news that their grant proposal wasn't chosen.

"The Cape Cod Bridges are federal assets, and the responsibility to replace them lies with the USACE and the federal government. The Baker-Polito Administration is disappointed that this latest funding application has been denied," said MassDOT spokesperson Jacquelyn Goddard.

The two bridges provide the only roadway connection on and off Cape Cod for the 263,000 residents of the Cape and Islands, as well as 5 million annual visitors, MassDOT said.

The project has a total estimated cost of $3.976 billion and would replace both bridges and improve the adjoining roadway network. It will also provide for better bicycle and pedestrian access.