New bridge, swimming halted, walkout: Some of our most-read Cape Cod stories of the week

Jason Savio, Cape Cod Times
·4 min read
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We've hit the midpoint of summer on Cape Cod and so far it has been a busy one with a Vineyard Wind turbine blade breaking apart, Carnival preparations in Provincetown, and more.

Whether you're into sports and have been enjoying the Cape Cod Times coverage of the Cape Cod Baseball League, or maybe fancy the arts and have been following our theater reviews, there's something for everyone.

By the way, have you voted for the best beach in Massachusetts? And, while you're at it, vote for the best Cape league pitcher, infielder, and outfielder of the week in our polls.

In case you missed all this and more, here are the most read stories of the week on the Cape Cod Times website.

Swimming shut down on popular Cape Cod beach

Marconi Beach in Wellfleet was closed to swimming earlier this week due to bacterial exceedance.
Marconi Beach in Wellfleet was closed to swimming earlier this week due to bacterial exceedance.

It's safe to swim at Marconi Beach in Wellfleet now, but earlier this week the beach was temporarily closed to swimming due to bacteria levels that exceeded standards, according to a Facebook post from the Cape Cod National Seashore and an alert posted on the Seashore's website.

According to the Facebook post, samples collected by Seashore staff prompted the closing.

Marconi Beach is on the Atlantic Ocean. It features miles of open beach stretching north and south from the parking area.

You can keep track of beach closings across Massachusetts at the state Department of Public Health's Interactive Beach Water Quality Dashboard website.

Swimming not allowed at Marconi Beach: 'Swimming may cause illness.' Popular Cape Cod beach closed to swimming. What we know.

Coast Guard experiencing staffing shortages

Boatswain's Mate Second Class Fern Webber secures a fender to the response boat as the crew prepares to board a recreational boat in Cape Cod Bay. Staffing shortages across the country in the Coast Guard have caused Coast Guard Station Cape Cod Canal to change its hours of operation.
Boatswain's Mate Second Class Fern Webber secures a fender to the response boat as the crew prepares to board a recreational boat in Cape Cod Bay. Staffing shortages across the country in the Coast Guard have caused Coast Guard Station Cape Cod Canal to change its hours of operation.

Due to staffing shortages, Station Cape Cod Canal recently become a mission schedule station, meaning it is no longer operating on a 24/7 schedule, said Chief Boatswain's Mate Larry Johnson.

The Coast Guard is undergoing its greatest staffing shortage in its history, and the shortage is projected to worsen throughout 2024, said Public Affairs Specialist Diolanda Caballero in a statement.

The station will be focusing its patrols around weekends and peak boating times, Johnson said. Time at the station will take place during weekdays.

When not at the station, the crew has been spending more time on the water, performing safety checks.

To be a 24/7 station, 18 crew members must be on hand. Station Cape Cod Canal only has 12, which is one more than necessary to be a mission schedule station, Johnson added.

“Everyone has a difficult time right now recruiting,” Lt. Adam Schmid said. “I just think it's just, you know — my opinion — some of the interests of some of the younger people. There's other opportunities out there.”

Coast Guard patrol changing at Cape Cod Canal: 'Difficult time right now.' Fewer recruits at Coast Guard means changes at Cape Cod Canal

Time to get to work on new Sagamore Bridge

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, speaks during a press conference along the Cape Cod Canal against a backdrop of the Sagamore Bridge in Bourne. Officials highlighted the recent funding that will now allow the bridge replacement to move forward.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, speaks during a press conference along the Cape Cod Canal against a backdrop of the Sagamore Bridge in Bourne. Officials highlighted the recent funding that will now allow the bridge replacement to move forward.

Thanks to the newly awarded funding totaling $993 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Bridge Investment Program, work on the replacement for the Sagamore Bridge can now get underway.

"We now begin what's called the design-build phase of this, and we're looking to have shovels in the ground by no later than 2027," Gov. Maura Healey said at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Sagamore Recreation Area.

It will be an 8- to10-year construction period, said state Department of Transportation Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver of the Sagamore Bridge project.

The new Sagamore span, Gulliver said, will be built "just on the inside of the existing bridge, interior to the canal." While work on the new bridge is under way, the existing bridge will remain open to traffic.

With funding secured and work starting on the Sagamore Bridge replacement, Healey said the Bourne Bridge is next.

"We're going to be laser-focused now, pedal to the metal on the next stages of this and moving from Sagamore to the Bourne Bridge."

In 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a report concluding that constructing new bridges would improve travel, safety, and accessibility to and from the Cape.

With funds secured, work to start on new Sagamore Bridge: 'Pedal to the metal.' With Sagamore Bridge replacement funded, focus is on getting started

Wellfleet harbormaster crew walks off job

A crew from the Wellfleet Department of Public Works clears pilings from the harbor parking lot on July 16. The town staff and the U.S. Coast Guard stepped in after marina and harbormaster workers walked off the job on July 12.
A crew from the Wellfleet Department of Public Works clears pilings from the harbor parking lot on July 16. The town staff and the U.S. Coast Guard stepped in after marina and harbormaster workers walked off the job on July 12.

Details are still missing as to why the town of Wellfleet's interim harbormaster Brittany Tilton and a staff member walked off the job last Friday afternoon, leaving officials to scramble to provide marina services that following weekend.

The town had appointed Tilton as interim harbormaster after William Sullivan left the Wellfleet post to take the top job in Provincetown on July 1. Tilton could not be reached for comment.  Sullivan said there is more to the walkout story, but declined to elaborate.

According to Selectboard Chairman John Wolf, "there were no glitches" following the walkout as the Department of Public Works, Police and Fire Department personnel provided assistance.

The U.S. Coast Guard has stepped in to provide emergency services for boaters out of Wellfleet Harbor, according to a Tuesday morning press release from the Town of Wellfleet.

Staff walkout at Wellfleet marina: US Coast Guard steps in after Wellfleet harbormaster crew walks off job

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: New bridge, marina walkout, swimming closed, and more: Top stories