Recreation along the Cape Cod Canal is getting a refresh.
New recreational facilities will be built along the canal as part of the $4.5 billion project to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges.
The rebuilt bridges, and especially the Bourne Bridge, will encroach on existing recreation areas. To compensate, the state is moving the amenities farther from the bridges.
The campground at Bourne Scenic Park will get a new pool, basketball court, outdoor stage, and fire pit, along with new offices and campsites to replace campsites near the Bourne Bridge.
Project officials talked about the plan at an open house Tuesday, hosted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation at Bournedale Elementary School.
Mark Kolonoski, leader of the environmental work on the bridge project for consulting firm HNTB, said campers will be able to access Bourne Scenic Park during construction via a new western entrance.
“They're not going to lose anything; it's going to look different,” he said.
On the south side of the canal, the Bourne Recreation Area will be moved east, to abut the Gallo Ice Arena, which the Bourne Recreation Authority owns. The two facilities will have combined parking, and the restrooms and train platform from the old recreation area will be rebuilt at the new.
Construction of the Bourne Bridge is still several years away, and the project needs federal funding.
At the Sagamore Bridge, the Sagamore Recreation Area on the north side of the canal will see new parking created to the east, to make up for a parking lot that will be used to stage construction of the bridge. Once the bridge is done, the old parking will be reinstated. Some or all of the new parking left in place, resulting in more total parking spaces than the area has now.
On the south side of the Sagamore, the state plans to build an access path behind the outfield fence at Keith Field to enhance access to the canal. And a new parking lot will be created for the baseball field to reduce unauthorized parking along Sandwich Road, Kolonoski said.
The Sagamore Bridge replacement is fully funded at more than $2 billion in federal and state funding, with construction scheduled to start in late 2027 or early 2028.
