Property owners near the Sagamore Bridge have received notice that the state will take their properties by eminent domain as part of the Cape Cod bridges reconstruction project.
The Department of Transportation sent letters by mail and hand delivery last week to 15 property owners — 12 residential and three commercial.
Some properties may require only a temporary easement for construction and not be taken permanently, according to a DOT official. Others will be permanent.
Residents facing the loss of their homes include several in the Round Hill neighborhood, west of the old Sagamore Bridge, where the new bridge will be built.
CAI visited the neighborhood to learn about some of their personal stories two years ago.
At a November open house on the project, a simulated video of the future Sagamore Bridge showed that homes east of Eleanor Avenue, on the Cape side of the bridge, had been demolished and replaced with grass and trees.
Owners receive compensation based on a state appraisal yet to be done, plus relocation assistance.
Those who don’t accept the appraisal can file an appeal.
If the appeal fails, a property owner who wants to pursue higher compensation would have to take the state to court.
Here are two relevant documents from the Department of Transportation: a letter to a property owner regarding a potential taking by eminent domain, and a general fact sheet provided by the state.
