Sagamore lane closures loom
Ahead of the Cape’s summer travel season, get ready to sit in some extra traffic near the Sagamore Bridge.
Lane closures are yet again planned for the old Cape bridge due to “critical maintenance work,” which comes after the state’s application for nearly $2 billion from the feds to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges was denied.
Beginning on March 1, the usual two lanes in each direction will be cut to a single 12-foot lane in each direction while workers perform road and bridge structural repairs, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District, citing “critical maintenance work.”
Lane restrictions will be in place for 24 hours a day until the project is completed, and police details will be on site to help with traffic.
“Motorists planning to use the Sagamore Bridge should be aware that travel delays are likely to occur during the morning and afternoon peak travel periods each day,” the Army Corps announced, adding that the repair work and lane restrictions are expected to run through May, weather permitting.
“This maintenance work is critical to maintaining the structural integrity of the Sagamore Bridge, a vital component to the transportation system of Cape Cod, the Islands and southeastern Massachusetts,” the agency said.
Work will include concrete and pavement repairs on the bridge roadway, repair of deteriorated steel supports, maintenance of bridge joints, and repairs to the concrete abutment structures.
Work crews will also perform maintenance work on the bridge lighting and drainage systems. Traffic signs and message boards will tell motorists about the pending lane restrictions and bridge work.
This isn’t the first time that the Sagamore Bridge had lane restrictions for critical maintenance work. During the spring of 2021, workers made repairs on both the Sagamore and Bourne bridges before the summer rush of Cape visitors.
This maintenance work at the Sagamore Bridge comes after an Army Corps federal grant application, seeking $1.88 billion from the U.S. Department of Transportation, was rejected. The $1.88 billion represents 47% of the estimated $3.98 billion total project cost for design and construction of the bridges.
The Army Corps constructed, operates and maintains the bridges, and the two bridges are a federally-owned asset. The bridges, built in 1935, were deemed better suited for replacement than repair in 2020.
The Corps has said the new bridges would each have six lanes: four travel lanes and two additional auxiliary lanes for acceleration and deceleration. They would also include appropriate access for bicyclists and pedestrians.