Planned construction work to replace two aging bridges that connect to Cape Cod will create more than 9,000 “high-quality” jobs in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday.
Healey and lawmakers gathered in Bourne to formally celebrate the nearly $1 billion in added federal funding for the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge on Cape Cod. Work on the Bourne Bridge is slated to happen after the Sagamore.
The recent announcement brings the total funding for the massive bridge project to $1.72 billion, in addition to $700 million in state funding, Healey said.
The $993 million awarded to the state Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program, Healey said.
State officials anticipate construction on the Sagamore Bridge would start in late 2028 and last anywhere from eight to 10 years.
However, Healey said Tuesday that the plan is to “get shovels in the ground by 2027, if not sooner.”
The project will make the bridges safer, more attractive and environmentally friendly, Healey said.
“They’re going to improve traffic flow and we’re going to make sure that the traffic keeps moving throughout this entire construction by keeping the current Sagamore bridge open,” Healey said.
The project will “move forward in tandem with our plans for electric vehicle charging and public transit options as well have multi-use paths for cyclists, walkers and wheelchairs, and importantly they’re going to create jobs and business opportunities for residents across the Cape and the region,” Healey said.
Senators Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Bill Keating joined the governor in Bourne, where they talked about the importance of the additional federal funding to upgrade the aging bridges.
The nearly 90-year-old bridges are “the gateway to the Cape” lawmakers said, and Markey called the Sagamore Bridge “a lifeline for countless on the Cape.”
“This is a great day. We’re going to celebrate today,” said Markey. “These bridges carry our Commonwealth and we need to make sure that they are strong and resilient.”
In October, a Congressional report stressed the need to replace the aging Bourne and Sagamore Bridges on Cape Cod, with the report noting “failure to replace the bridges would be catastrophic.”
Lawmakers said the funding is the result of over a decade of work to upgrade the aging bridges that millions of motorists travel through annually to get to Cape Cod.
Both bridges are considered “functionally obsolete,” officials said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and maintains both bridges, has rated the Bourne Bridge in poor condition and the Sagamore Bridge in fair condition.
“I’m really proud,” Healey said of efforts by lawmakers and other state officials to improve the bridges.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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