More details of the state’s plan to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges are expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks, including potential locations for the bridges and changes to local roads.
As the state contemplates the design, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is advocating for roadway changes that could improve travel in Bourne and enhance the town’s economy.
“I think the elimination of the Sagamore Rotary went a long way to sort of doing that,” CEO Paul Niedzwiecki said. “And I think continuing to make that North-South travel [better] in Bourne is going to be important for their own economic development.”
The project is an opportunity to fix the mistakes of the past, he said.
“Before they put in Route 3 and Route 25, Buzzards Bay was really kind of a thriving part of Bourne. But when they put those two highways in, and the rotary associated with them … the local economy in Buzzards Bay took a severe hit,” he said.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is scheduled to provide updates on the bridge project in two identical presentations Jan. 24 and 26, both online. The meeting notice calls for the discussion to include potential bridge locations and roadway improvements.
The $4 billion dollar project has twice failed to win a major federal grant.
Niedzwiecki said funding is more likely to come once more of the planning is complete.