Healey-Driscoll Administration Wins $1 Billion for Cape Cod Bridges Replacement
Total federal funding secured for project rises to $1.72 billion, in addition to $700 million in state funding
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll administration is celebrating that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have won nearly $1 billion in federal funding for the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges. The funding is from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program (BIP). This brings the total amount of federal funding secured for the project to nearly $1.72 billion, in addition to the $700 million in state funding pledged by Governor Maura Healey’s administration.
“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,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We promised the people of Massachusetts that we were going to bring home this funding and get these bridges built – and we’re delivering. I’m grateful for the partnership of the Biden-Harris administration, Senators Markey and Warren, and Congressman Keating, which made this all possible.”
“These bridges are a gateway to our beautiful Cape Cod communities and they’re critical for our state’s economy. From day one, we’ve been working hard across our administration to prepare winning applications that will succeed where others have failed,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This award, combined with the funding we won last year, shows real confidence in MassDOT’s plans. We are so incredibly proud of Team Massachusetts for bringing this home.”
“Massachusetts just hit a billion dollar home run to start replacing the Cape Cod Bridges,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Two years ago, we had zero dollars in funding for these bridges. Now, thanks to my work with Governor Healey, Senator Markey, Representative Keating, and the rest of the delegation, we have over $2 billion in state and federal funds to replace these bridges for our Cape Cod communities.”
“Today is a momentous day for the Cape, the Islands, and all of Massachusetts. The Sagamore and Bourne Bridges are the gateway to the Cape, and this federal funding is the missing piece to replace the Sagamore Bridge and launch Phase One of the project to replace both bridges,” said Senator Ed Markey. “Replacing these aging bridges will bring immense economic, environmental, and social benefits to the region and the entire Commonwealth. Securing these funds is the result of strong partnership with Governor Healey, Senator Warren, Congressman Keating, and the Biden administration. This grant demonstrates that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for Massachusetts and the entire country.”
“This grant is the culmination of over a decade of work. The question is no longer about how to fund the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge but when shovels will go in the ground to build it. The new Sagamore Bridge will be more than just a connection between two sides of the Canal, it is a lifeline for the quarter of a million people who live on Cape Cod and the economic driver that brings workers and tourists back and forth every day,” said Congressman Bill Keating. “This was a highly competitive grant application process that Senator Warren, Senator Markey and myself have worked tirelessly on to get to today, and we cannot discount the impact of Governor Healey’s leadership and the full-throated support of the entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation to get this done.”
The project to replace the two bridges is essential for supporting the economy of Cape Cod and surrounding communities and ensuring safe and reliable travel for residents, workers and millions of annual visitors. It also presents a powerful opportunity to modernize designs to improve safety, mobility and resiliency; increase economic vitality and improve access through better pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure. The project will bring the bridges 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. The new design will also have multimodal elements including shared-use paths to fill transportation gaps and ensure full accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and people with mobility devices.
In March, MassDOT signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, outlining the terms in which MassDOT will take the lead on project delivery to replace the two federally owned bridges, and subsequently own, operate and maintain the new structures.
MassDOT is also currently working with the USACE, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on the environmental review and permitting processes.
The construction of the Sagamore Bridge replacement will be fully offset from the existing bridge so that traffic may be maintained on the existing bridge during the project. MassDOT will enter into a Project Labor Agreement to support fair wages and working conditions for the more the 9,000 high-quality union construction jobs that will be created from this project and meet Massachusetts goals for workforce participation by minorities and women in construction.
“This grant award gives us the momentum we need to move ahead with the project to replace the Sagamore Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal and to lay the groundwork to replace the Bourne Bridge,” said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “We are grateful to local officials, the Healey-Driscoll administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and community members for being our partners every step of the way as MassDOT competed for federal funding and started design, engineering and environmental work. With this additional funding, we can move forward in bringing these transportation improvement projects to life, which will have an impact on generations to come.”
“We’re very grateful to the congressional delegation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and members of the Healey-Driscoll administration for helping us win this federal grant award,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “With this second federal grant award for the Cape Cod Canal Program infrastructure needs, we are now on a path forward to continue with environmental permitting, selecting a design-build firm and breaking ground for construction of the new Sagamore Bridge.”
The Healey-Driscoll administration has committed to aggressively competing for federal funding for Massachusetts. Since Governor Healey took office in January 2023, the administration has secured a total of $6 billion in federal funding, including more than $3 billion in discretionary grants. Last year, the administration won $372 million for the Cape Cod Bridges from the Federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program, which includes the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program. The Massachusetts Congressional delegation also secured $350 million for the bridges in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, which was signed by President Biden.
The Healey-Driscoll administration is pursuing additional federal dollars to fund additional project phases, including for the Bourne Bridge. The administration will continue to seek federal funding from future rounds of the Bridge Investment Program, congressional appropriations, and any other opportunities available to fully fund the replacement of both Cape Cod bridges.
Overall, the administration has been successful in more than $3 billion in discretionary grants for projects that advance priorities in transportation, climate, and economic development, including key transportation awards of $67 million to advance accessibility at MBTA Green Line stations, $335 million to reconnect communities and increase mobility through the Allston I-90 Multimodal Project, $108 million for West-East Rail, $75 million for schools to electrify their bus fleets, $60 million for transit agencies to acquire zero- and low-emission buses, and $24 million to rehabilitate Leonard’s Wharf in New Bedford.
“Thank you to President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the entire congressional delegation for this historic investment in Massachusetts infrastructure.” said Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey. “This project will ensure there are the vital transportation links needed to keep Cape Cod connected to the rest of Massachusetts and the greater northeast region, while supporting multimodal transit and creating good-paying union jobs. We look forward to continuing our efforts with federal partners to secure additional funding for Cape and the Islands, and communities across Massachusetts.”
The Cape Cod Bridge program is moving forward alongside a larger multimodal transit strategy for the Cape Cod region to increase safe, reliable and effective transit options for both residents and visitors. The CapeFLYER, created through a partnership between the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and MBTA Commuter Rail operating partner Keolis, has now entered into its 11th summer of service providing seasonal rail connections between Boston's South Station and Hyannis.
The Cape Cod Bridges will be a central link in the federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors along Massachusetts Route 3 and U.S. Route 6, with funding for vehicle chargers provided to MassDOT by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. MassDOT recently announced three vendors that will receive NEVI funds to help implement the installation of Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) stations spaced no more than 50 miles apart along these routes which will be capable of charging an electric vehicle battery to 80% in as quickly as 20 minutes.
The Cape Cod Bridge program will also provide bicycle and pedestrian connections to the larger Cape Cod multimodal transit network along with the following work underway by MassDOT in partnership with Cape Cod cities and towns to improve multimodal infrastructure across the region. This includes reconstruction projected to begin in 2025 on 1.5 miles of Route 6 in Bourne to include a shared use path for pedestrians and bicycles, construction on Phase I of the Bourne Rail trail projected to begin in the fall of 2025 with design by the town of Bourne for a paved path running from Monument Neck Road to the existing Cape Cod Canal Bike Path, among other projects creating additional multimodal infrastructure for the Cape Cod region.
More information on the Cape Cod Bridges project is available here.
Statements of Support:
Frank Callahan, President, Massachusetts Building Trades Unions:
“The Biden Administration has proven time and again that they support workers and share a common goal for better wages, working conditions, and benefits for workers. With this critical funding for the Cape Cod bridge replacement project, we are seeing first-hand how the Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act directly benefits the people of the Commonwealth. Today, I applaud Governor Healey, Senator Warren, and all those involved in securing this funding and look forward to the family sustaining opportunities that this project will provide workers across the region.”
Kristy Senatori, Executive Director, Cape Cod Commission:
“The importance of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges to the region cannot be overstated – the long-term viability of Cape Cod is inextricably linked to the health and fate of both bridges. The Sagamore Bridge sees over 20 million vehicle crossings a year and, along with the Bourne Bridge, is the lifeline to the Cape and Islands. We applaud the work of the federal delegation and the Healey-Driscoll Administration to advance the Cape Cod Canal Bridges Program and to secure this additional funding for the Sagamore Bridge replacement.”
Paul Niedzwiecki, CEO, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce:
“There is no way to overstate how critical the replacement of the Sagamore and Bourne bridges is – this is an existential issue for Cape Cod. The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce commends Governor Healey’s pragmatic and diligent approach to obtaining federal funding to make this project a reality.”