Newsroom

We know thousands of vehicles cross the Bourne and Sagamore bridges each day, but what about the people who don’t drive? To better understand how non-motorists are using the bridges and to plan for future needs, the Cape Cod Commission placed “eco-counters,” portable infrared sensors that detect heat to count pedestrians and bicyclists, near both the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. Data shows that hundreds of pedestrians and bicyclists traverse the canal bridges every year.  

Built in 1935, the Bourne and Sagamore bridges span the Cape Cod Canal and connect residents, businesses, and visitors on the Cape and Islands to the mainland. The bridges are essential for general transportation, freight, and tourism, and in an emergency are critical routes for evacuation. The bridges are the only connection to and from Cape Cod for vehicular traffic. 

The nearly 90-year-old bridges are both considered “functionally obsolete” and a plan to replace both bridges is underway. Much has happened this year to bring us toward construction

Nearly $400 million in federal funding is on the way to support replacing the aging Bourne and Sagamore bridges.

Announced on Friday, December 15, the $372 million award represents the full amount the Healey-Driscoll administration applied for in August 2023 from the Federal Multi-modal Project Discretionary Grant program, which includes the Nationally Significant Multi-modal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program