Building Bridges

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.

The project to replace Cape Cod’s aging Bourne and Sagamore bridges reached a critical milestone with the announcement today of nearly one billion dollars in federal funding.

At the height of the summer season on Cape Cod, the Cape bridges are getting attention — not just from vacationers stuck in traffic, but also from political candidates.

Markey asked questions about some of the details, including how the years-long construction will affect traffic.

The latest plans for the new Bourne and Sagamore bridges were on view Monday at an open house in Bourne hosted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Major events in the life of the $4.5 billion project are expected to unfold in 2026, including preliminary design of the Sagamore Bridge and a draft Request for Proposals to start the contractors’ bidding process in the fall. But in the meantime, a detailed analysis of how the project would affect Cape Cod is due out next spring.

This week: We've got the latest on plans to replace the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, after the state holds its first public meeting in a year. And, a controversial heavy machine gun range proposed for Joint Base Cape Cod has been scaled back, but questions about its impacts remain. And right whales get their day of recognition.

In the first public information session in a year, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation plans to discuss the status of the $4.5 billion project to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges.

The transportation grant, worth more than $1 billion, would essentially complete the funding for the Sagamore Bridge.

Plus, a major grant could be announced in the coming months for the $4.5 billion project.