After securing $1 billion in federal funding to replace the Cape Cod bridges last week, Gov. Maura Healey said the state can now move forward with the project.
"For the first time, the people of Cape Cod are going to get what they deserve when it comes to these bridges," Healey said during a press conference Tuesday. "We know that these bridges have been in a state of disrepair for a long time."
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The $1 billion funding came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Bridge Investment Program (BIP), and now brings the total amount of federal dollars dedicated to the project to $1.72 billion.
"We add to that the nearly $7 million in state funding that we've committed," said Healey. "We can say with certainty now that we have the funding that we need to move forward. We're going to rebuild the Sagamore Bridge, and we're going to continue to work for every dollar available to rebuild the Bourne Bridge."
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The Cape Cod bridge replacement project, Healey said, will bring "better transportation, more economic opportunity and better quality of life to the Cape and Massachusetts."
The construction of the bridges alone will create more than 9,000 high-quality jobs, Healey said.
"And these jobs are going to work under a project laborer agreement with our labor unions," she said. "What that means is we're going to get fair wages, safe working conditions, equitable access and training for local diverse workers."
The Sagamore Bridge is nearly 90 years old and has been deemed obsolete. The state's Congressional delegation and Healey have been pushing for the funding necessary to complete the massive project, which involves the construction of an entirely new set of bridges.
"Oh, it is a good day to talk about a billion dollars coming to our bridges here on the Cape," Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday. "I'm ready to celebrate."
Warren said that two years ago, there was zero dollars to replace the bridges.
"Today, we have $1.7 billion from the federal government and a commitment for another $700 million committed from the Commonwealth," said Warren. "We have the money to build our first bridge and to start on our second."
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges bring traffic over the Cape Cod Canal, connecting the Cape to the rest of the region. The plan would begin with a replacement of the Sagamore Bridge, which is the one that has been deemed in more urgent need of updating.
The state has pledged $700 million, meaning there is enough money secured to begin on the Sagamore Bridge. The new bridge is projected to be completed in 2034 and, hopefully, the Bourne Bridge project would finish up about 18 months later.
The full cost to replace both bridges is estimated at around $4.5 billion.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently owns and operates the bridges, but an agreement reached in March will turn the responsibility over to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which would take the lead on the replacement.
State officials say the new design of the bridges will improve traffic and safety and lower maintenance costs. The new bridges would be built next to the old ones to avoid disrupting transportation over the bridges during construction.
