Transportation

Biden pledges more than $370 million to Cape bridges project

The money, which the Healey-Driscoll administration called a “huge win,” will go toward replacing the almost 90-year-old Sagamore Bridge.

Sagamore Bridge John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

By Emily Spatz

2 minutes to read

The Biden administration has allocated over $370 million toward replacing the decades-old Sagamore Bridge in Cape Cod. 

Federal officials announced Thursday that $372 million in federal funding will go to the Sagamore Bridge project as part of the National Infrastructure Project Assistance and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant programs. The project includes improvements to bridge design and construction, improvements to local roadway connections, and major utility relocation.

The grant is a portion of the $4.9 billion going to 37 major transportation projects nationwide as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, according to a statement by the White House. 

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The renovation project is part of Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to replace two of Cape Cod’s nearly 90-year-old bridges. The Healey administration announced last year it would apply for federal funding to renovate the Sagamore Bridge before targeting the Bourne Bridge because it “carries substantially more traffic” and “would provide greater benefits sooner.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Sagamore Bridge is “currently considered functionally obsolete and structurally deficient.” 

The Healey-Driscoll administration said in a Dec. 15 statement announcing the federal award that they had received all of the money it had asked for when applying to the program in August 2023. 

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“This is a huge win for Team Massachusetts. Our administration said from day one that we were going to compete aggressively for federal funding to bring home to support crucial infrastructure projects in Massachusetts, like the Cape Cod Bridges project,” Healey said in the Dec. 15 statement. “We are thrilled that our first application was a success, and we are optimistic that we are in a strong position to bring home the remaining funding.”

The administration also filed for $1.06 billion in funding toward the Sagamore Bridge Project in December, which it said it is “optimistic” about. If granted, it would cover about half of the estimated $2.13 billion needed to rebuild the bridge. 

A Congressional report warned in 2023 that failure to replace the Cape’s federally-owned bridges could be “catastrophic,” delaying emergency responders due to congestion and impacting public safety. 

“This $372 million award is key to the overall funding program for the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge,” said Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutts in a statement. “It presents a powerful opportunity to modernize the design to improve safety, mobility, and resiliency; increasing economic vitality; and improve access through better pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure.”

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