Concept drawing of the Sagamore Bridge replacement from MassDOT
BOURNE – With a recent $1 billion dollar grant approved by federal officials, the Sagamore Bridge replacement effort has enough money to get underway, with local leaders saying it’s been a long road with more still ahead.
The span is the first target of replacement by state officials and the more traveled of the two canal spans, though they added that the Bourne Bridge is integral for the Cape’s economy and is also a priority.
Barnstable County Commissioner Mark Forest said that it’s been a long road to get funding, with the Gov. Maura Healey’s administration to thank for the most recent major milestone.
“What’s been the most important is the Governor and MassDOT accelerating the planning and design work on this. It was critical that the state put some money in up front because this is a partnership project, and this can’t be something that’s just funded 100% by the federal government. All of these grant programs require some match, so the state put some dollars in up front,” said Forest.
The state had previously set aside about $722 million dollars for the effort.
MassDOT is currently planning to replace the Sagamore Bridge by 2034, though there is no exact concrete plan on when construction would begin.
Forest said that next moves will relate to finishing design work before shovels can get in the ground.
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