Massachusetts state officials will celebrate Tuesday the securing of $1.72 billion in federal funding for the Cape Cod bridge replacement project.
Gov. Maura Healey will host a press conference at 11 a.m. at the Sagamore Recreation area. She will be joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Congressman Bill Keating.
The Sagamore Bridge is nearly 90 years old and has been deemed obsolete. The state’s Congressional delegation and Healey have been pushing for the funding necessary to complete the massive project, which involves the construction of an entirely new set of bridges.
“This is a game-changing award for Massachusetts. We’ve never been closer to rebuilding the Cape Cod Bridges than we are right now. This funding will be critical for getting shovels in the ground,” Healey said last week.
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges bring traffic over the Cape Cod Canal, connecting the Cape to the rest of the region. The plan would begin with a replacement of the Sagamore Bridge, which is the one that has been deemed in more urgent need of updating.
The latest funding will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program (BIP) and brings the total amount of federal dollars dedicated to the project to $1.72 billion.
The state has pledged $700 million, meaning there is enough money secured to begin on the Sagamore Bridge. The new bridge is projected to be completed in 2034 and, hopefully, the Bourne Bridge project would finish up about 18 months later.
The full cost to replace both bridges is estimated at around $4.5 billion.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently owns and operates the bridges, but an agreement reached in March will turn the responsibility over to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which would take the lead on the replacement.
State officials say the new design of the bridges will improve traffic and safety and lower maintenance costs. The new bridges would be built next to the old ones to avoid disrupting transportation over the bridges during construction.
More on the Cape Cod bridge replacement project
