State receives $372M grant to fund replacement of Cape Cod bridge
Image | Courtesy of Google Maps
The Sagamore bridge over Cape Cod Canal
Massachusetts has netted a significant federal grant to put towards the daunting cost of replacing the narrow and sometimes dangerous Sagamore Bridge.
Members of the state's all-Democrat Congressional delegation announced Friday night that the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is managed by the Biden administration, awarded the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a $372 million grant to start replacing the Sagamore Bridge under its MEGA (National Infrastructure Project Assistance) grant program.
"This funding is a critical downpayment on the effort to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges and a recognition that replacing the aging bridges will bring immense economic, environmental, and social benefits to Cape Cod, the Islands, and the entire Commonwealth," Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, and Rep. William Keating said in a joint statement.
After previous efforts to secure federal funding for replacement of the Sagamore and Bourne bridges stumbled, Gov. Maura Healey's team in August shifted to a phased federal funds pursuit that first targets money primarily for the Sagamore Bridge. The projected cost of replacing both bridges has soared from roughly $1.5 billion in 2019 to more than $4.5 billion.
Providing two new highway bridges "would be the most cost effective means of providing safe and reliable crossings," the Army Corps concluded in a 210-page study released in March 2020. "The existing bridges are 85 years old and both are functionally obsolete. The Bourne Bridge is also classified as structurally deficient under current Federal Highway Administration guidance."
“This funding award is a critical step forward in our efforts to get shovels in the ground quickly on the Sagamore Bridge while laying the groundwork for rebuilding the Bourne Bridge,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.
The state is also seeking $1.06 billion in bridge funding through its Bridge Investment Program (BIP) Large Bridge Project Program application. The Healey administration said Friday it is "optimistic" about that outstanding application.
The Healey administration this year said it would like to launch construction of a new Sagamore Bridge in 2028, with completion targeted for late 2035 or early 2036.
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