'Pedal to the metal.' With Sagamore Bridge replacement funded, focus is on getting started

SAGAMORE BEACH — With all the money now secured to replace the Sagamore Bridge, all hands are on deck to get the project started as quickly as possible.

"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 Tuesday.

Healey talked about what's next at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Sagamore Recreation Area, with the bridge and the Cape Cod Canal serving as a backdrop.

She was joined by U.S. senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts and Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, and U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Massachusetts, along with state and local officials in celebration of a nearly $1 billion federal grant the state received for the Cape Cod bridges replacement.

The aging Sagamore and Bourne bridges cross the canal and provide the only vehicle links to the mainland.

'A lot has already been done'

"Our team did not stop. Even while we were applying for the funds, we proceeded on a parallel path for permitting, for design," Healey said. "A lot of it has already been done."

The newly awarded funding totals $993 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Bridge Investment Program. and is specifically tagged for replacing the Sagamore Bridge. Added to previously granted money, it's expected there will be some left over to go into the kitty for the Bourne Bridge replacement.

The federal government already awarded a total of $722 million for the bridge projects — $372 million through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program in December 2023 toward the Sagamore Bridge replacement and another $350 million in March as part of the fiscal year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. Additionally, the state has set aside $700 million. Combined, the total $2.24 billion of secured funding is more than enough to cover the estimated $2.13 billion to replace the 89-year-old Sagamore span.

An eight-to-10 year project

"It will be an 8-10 year construction period," said state Department of Transportation Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver of the Sagamore Bridge project. "We're going to look to fine-tune that and narrow that down over the next couple of years."

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.

He explained that the next step will be to bring on a design-build team. The project design work is expected to be over the finish line in early 2026, he said.

The state transportation agency is simultaneously working on design and permitting for the Bourne Bridge, which will come later. Construction funds for that project are still needed.

Both Sagamore and Bourne bridge replacements

"We've been progressing with the entire (bridges replacement) program, including the Bourne design and permitting. That is still progressing right now, so that part is funded," Gulliver said, noting that for the Bourne construction money, "we just put in a grant earlier this summer that we're hoping is going to get the same type of positive feedback."

Healey said the state and congressional leaders aren't taking a rest until all funding is secured to also replace the Bourne Bridge.

"I have every interest in moving this along as quickly as possible and I know that's the interest of everybody here in the Bourne community and across Cape Cod," she said. "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."

She explained that a decision was made at the beginning "to chase one and then chase another."

"We secured this, and tomorrow we get after the Bourne Bridge," Healey said, "and we'll be working steadily all of us collectively on bringing that home."

A 2020 analysis

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.

Marie Oliva, president and CEO of the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce, commended the congressional delegation for shepherding the project through the legislative process. The projects, she said, are important to the economic health of the region, as well as to public safety.

“Replacing the bridges will eliminate the ongoing maintenance and traffic congestion. Crossing the new bridges will reduce the congestion and, thus, contribute to an improved economy," she said.

As it is now, Oliva pointed out, if one bridge was to be closed for repairs or maintenance, "the economy of the town of Bourne, the entire Cape, and the state of Massachusetts would suffer tremendously."

"An evacuation due to a global threat is another reason the bridges need to be replaced," she added.

Oliva expects the construction will have temporary impacts on the local businesses. She emphasized the importance of mitigation money being available "to help the communities surrounding the bridges deal with eminent domain takings and interruption of services." In the long run, she said, "the creation of jobs for this enormous project will benefit the surrounding communities."

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

The  Cape Cod Times is providing this coverage for free as a public service. Please take a moment to support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Healey: Shovels in the ground for Sagamore Bridge replacement by 2027