Infrastructure Act 'Provides A Path' For Replacing Cape Bridges

BOURNE, MA — Replacing the aging Bourne and Sagamore bridges will be a lot easier because of the passing of President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill, federal and state lawmakers said.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. William Keating on Friday met with officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to discuss the future of the 85-year-old bridges.

Markey, Warren and Keating in a joint statement said the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes nearly $35 billion in competitive grant programs. It also includes $17 billion in funding for the USACE, which has owned and maintained the bridges since the 1930s.

"After years of hard work and preparation, the bipartisan infrastructure law finally provides a path forward for replacing the Cape Cod Bridges," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. "This is our moment, and we’re proud to have helped create various funding sources that can now allow us to deliver two new bridges for the Cape and Islands."

During the meeting, Army Corp officials committed to pushing for as much federal grant money as possible to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, the only ways to reach Cape Cod by land.MassDOT officials committed to providing expertise and to support grant efforts.

"This is a great example of a whole of government effort — federal and state — to protect public safety and contribute to the Nation’s economy," said Michael Connor, the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works. "It is a priority of the Army to work with the Federal Highway Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to ensure the Cape Cod Canal Bridges project moves forward."

Discussions about replacing the Cape Cod Canal bridges came after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a study that recommended the Sagamore and Bourne bridges be replaced. U.S. Army Corps officials estimate it will cost more than $1 billion to replace the two bridges.

Under the Army Corps' original plan, the new bridges would include four travel lanes, two auxiliary lanes designed as acceleration/deceleration lanes and paths for bikes and pedestrians.