Cape Cod leaders joined Gov. Maura Healey and the Massachusetts congressional delegation yesterday to hail the state’s winning of a major federal grant to replace the Sagamore Bridge.
They gathered in view of the bridge, at the Sagamore Recreation Area, to celebrate the nearly $1 billion grant announced Friday.
The $993 million grant, combined with previous state and federal funding, now covers most of the more than $2 billion projected cost of the Sagamore.
Healey said she’s not taking her eye off the Bourne Bridge, either.
“We can say, with certainty now, that we have the funding that we need to move forward,” she said. “We're going to rebuild the Sagamore Bridge, and we're going to continue to work for every dollar available to rebuild the Bourne Bridge.”
Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren credited the Biden administration and Democrats for making investments in infrastructure.
Warren said that two years ago, the bridge project had no federal funding.
“This money didn't fall out of the sky,” she said. “Joe Biden and the Democrats put the money in so that we can rebuild infrastructure right here on the Cape and all across this country.”
Also on hand for the press conference were U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, state legislators and transportation officials, and other advocates of the bridge project, including those representing local chambers of commerce and union labor.
Markey cheered the news during his turn at the podium, quipping about the new grant before continuing his remarks.
“Who wants to be a billionaire? Sagamore Bridge!” he said. “That is what we are celebrating here today. Just an incredible victory. And it is the largest single bridge grant to a single state in the history of the United States.”
Healey said rebuilding the Sagamore Bridge promises more economic opportunity for the region and a better quality of life.
“We're really, really excited about it,” she said. “It is a big, big deal. It is a turning point, truly, in terms of sustained investments in an infrastructure whose benefits will be felt for generations.”
Preliminary plans for the bridges include wider lanes, dedicated exit lanes, and bike paths.
Environmental review, permits, and final designs are still to come.
State officials say construction of the Sagamore Bridge is likely to start in 2028, and the new bridge should open sometime between 2034 and 2036.
Learn more about the years-long efforts to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges
