Local News

Here’s where the funding stands on new Cape Cod bridges

Lawmakers hope that funding will come in the next few weeks, but it's not guaranteed.

The Sagamore Bridge is enveloped in heavy fog Thursday morning traveling over the Cape Cod Canal. Officials are hopeful their newest batch of funding applications will get them closer to the necessary $4 billion needed to repair both the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

By Gwen Egan

October 9, 2022

In 1935, the Bourne and Sagamore bridges opened, getting cars across The Cape Cod Canal.

In 2019, the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, 50 years after they were supposed to last, were deemed “functionally obsolete” by the Army Corps of Engineers, according to reporting by The Boston Globe.

In 2022, officials are still waiting for nearly $4 billion to make necessary repairs on said bridges. They are confident these bridges will receive funding from a patchwork of programs in the coming weeks, but it’s not a sure thing.

This isn’t the first time in recent history that lawmakers and officials were hopeful of receiving funding.

President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in fall 2021, but it did not allocate funding for specific projects. However, officials were still sure the Cape Cod Canal bridges were a surefire yes.

Even after no funding was awarded in September 2021, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey remained hopeful.

“I will not rest until we have two gleaming new bridges connecting the Cape and Islands to the rest of Massachusetts. We will get this done,” Markey said.

The owners of the bridge, the Army Corps of Engineers, also applied for the federal grant to no avail.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren cited the 2026 expected construction date as a reason for the lack of funding, according to The Boston Globe.

“They can’t talk about bridge replacement at a leisurely pace. That fails to reflect the urgency of getting the job done and the likelihood it will meet the qualifications of the federal funding that’s available,” she said.

On Monday, Michael Connor, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, told Markey the Army allocated $2 billion for the project, according to reporting by The Boston Globe.

While this money makes up a fraction of the necessary funds, officials are hopeful for the two grant programs they applied for in March — the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance programs.

“We fought to make sure the money is there. The tree has borne fruit, but MassDOT and Army Corps need to pick that fruit,” Warren said.