What's happening with the Cape Cod bridges?

The 90-year-old Sagamore and Bourne bridges are being replaced because they are functionally obsolete, with narrow roadways, unsafe pedestrian access, and aging infrastructure. The bridges are the only mainland link for more than 200,000 year-round Cape residents and roughly 50,000 daily commuters, making replacement essential to regional mobility. MassDOT will lead the replacement and the state will assume operations after rebuild under an agreement with the federal government. Planned designs use two archway bridges at each crossing to allow staged construction while keeping two lanes operational each way, adding highway-standard travel lanes, extra entrance and exit lanes, and pedestrian-friendly pathways. Securing $1 billion in federal funding and issuing eminent domain notices to homeowners have accelerated the timeline but raised concerns about property takings among residents.

According to the Cape Cod Commission, the regional planning, economic development, and regulatory agency, the 90-year-old bridges are considered "functionally obsolete," with narrow roadways, unsafe pedestrian access, and aging infrastructure. As the only connection to the mainland, the bridges are essential infrastructure for the more than 200,000 year-round Cape residents and the 50,000 daily commuters who rely on them. The federal government owns the bridges, but under an agreement with Massachusetts officials, the state will take over operations after they are rebuilt.

The federal government owns the bridges, but under an agreement with Massachusetts officials, the state will take over operations after they are rebuilt. MassDOT is leading the replacement project. The new bridge design includes two archway bridges at each crossing, allowing for staged construction while keeping two lanes of traffic operational in both directions. The new lanes will meet highway standards and include two travel lanes in each direction, additional entrance and exit lanes to help maintain traffic flow, and pedestrian-friendly pathways.

Read at Boston.com