New life for old bridges
$350M for Cape Cod spans, state gains total ownership
The president’s 2024 budget, as written, would partially fund the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges and proposes eventually transferring ownership of the busy spans from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the state.
“The Budget includes an initial $350 million for replacement of the Cape Cod Canal bridges, toward a commitment of $600 million, and a legislative proposal that would allow the Corps to transfer those funds to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which is better suited to design and construct the replacement bridges,” President Biden’s budget reads, in part.
“The Budget proposes authorizing the Corps to transfer ownership of these bridges to the Commonwealth, which would be responsible for their future operation and maintenance,” the proposal reads.
MassDOT and the USACE have been working together on plans to replace the federally-owned Bourne and Sagamore bridges since 2020, when the Army Corps determined both structures would require replacement. The two bridges provide the only roadway connection on and off Cape Cod for the 263,000 residents of the Cape and Islands, as well as for 5 million annual visitors.
Built by the Army Corps in 1935, according to estimates the cost to replace the bridges approaches $4 billion. Not replacing them, according to a report by the Army Corps, would cost about $775 in maintenance by 2050.
The President’s budget calls for funding about 15% of the estimated total project cost before eventually transferring ownership of the bridges to the state.
It is not the Army Corps’ plan to leave the state on the hook for the remaining about $3.4 billion, according to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor.
“It’s a significant cost. This is a very huge down payment from the army civil works programs perspective, and we will continue our work with MassDOT as well as Department of Transportation and any other agencies that might have an ability to contribute to this, all with an eye towards fully funding the needs that exist for replacement,” Connor said at a Thursday press conference.
Officials have twice sought a Large Bridge Project Grant made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program and twice been denied, to the point lawmakers grew concerned the Army Corps wasn’t presenting a competitive enough application for grant funding to qualify before the cash was gone.
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, along with Rep. Bill Keating, wrote the Army Corps at the end of January to tell them as much, expressing their dissatisfaction with the lack of progress and reiterating the importance of the two bridges to the economy of the state and region.
On Thursday, the same lawmakers issued a joint statement welcoming the President and Army Corps’ new plan.
“I’ve been working hard to secure federal funding to replace the Cape Cod bridges and this initial $350 million, toward a commitment of $600 million, is a critical down payment in President Biden’s budget,” Warren said in a statement. “The Biden administration is demonstrating their commitment to this vital project, and I’ll continue coordinating with local, state and federal partners on this much-needed investment for Massachusetts.”
Markey said the budget’s proposal forecasts a “promising new phase” in the ongoing saga of the Cape Cod bridges.
“I am proud of this successful push with my colleagues Senator Warren and Congressman Keating to secure this budget request and am committed to fighting to ensure that Congress follows through on this request and appropriates critical federal funds for this project,” he said.
Keating called the bridges a “critical lifeline” for his district and the people there, but he alone among the lawmakers some hesitance to .
“We are still in the early stages of this project, but I have been clear from the start that these bridges will be funded. The Cape Cod Canal bridges will be replaced, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the federal delegation and our federal, state, and local partners to ensure we continue moving forward,” he said.