MassDOT Will Control New Cape Cod Bridges After Agreement

CAPE COD, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of the Army and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Commonwealth have reached a new memorandum of understanding that will keep the USACE as the owners of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges.

As part of the new agreement, the USACE will own, operate and maintain the existing Bourne and Sagamore Bridges while MassDOT will serve as the lead on the project to build the new bridges, assuming responsibility to construct, and subsequently own, operate and maintain two new bridges.

In short, once the new Cape Cod bridges are built, they will be under MassDOT control. MassDOT will be responsible for the design, permitting and construction of the project and USACE will assist in the process.

The agreement commits Massachusetts to providing $700 million to the Cape Bridge Program and the USACE to provide $600 million, subject to appropriation from Congress.

The project has also received $372 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program and is being considered for a $1.06 billion grant from the USDOT Bridge Investment Program.

Local politicians and transportation officials noted that the new agreement drives home a collaborative approach to bridge upkeep and the future projects while also determining who will control the future of the new bridges.

“MassDOT is pleased to have this new Memorandum of Understanding as it lays out our next steps, helping us move forward in collaboration with our federal partners in reconstructing the two bridges," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt.

Currently, the two bridges are federally owned. The new agreement means that local officials will now be in charge of the only means of vehicular access across the Cape Cod Canal, and also get the main say in the design and construction process.

The Sagamore Bridge Replacement Project will be undertaken before the project to replace the Bourne Bridge.

The Sagamore Project is Phase 1 of the Cape Cod Bridges Program which makes investments in other transportation infrastructure along the Cape Cod Canal and expands travel options for the public, including those who walk and bike, officials said.

The Sagamore Bridge’s replacement will be built fully offset from the existing bridge so that traffic may be maintained on the existing bridge while the new bridge is being constructed, something that will surely make local police breath easier.

But more than a relief for local departments, the project will also have financial-based benefits.

"The modernized and reconfigured design will bring the bridge into a state of good repair, lower the long-term maintenance costs, address issues with traffic operations, improve safety by reducing crashes by as much as 48 percent and preserve and enhance productivity through new direct jobs and other economic benefits," a statement explained.