Overview
- Renderings released Thursday show a twin-arched Sagamore Bridge with two 12-foot travel lanes each way, extra enter/exit lanes, wider shoulders, and a barrier-protected 14-foot path for pedestrians and cyclists.
- MassDOT outlined a multi-year schedule that moves procurement and property purchases forward, aims to pick three to five contractor finalists by September and plans to issue a notice to begin construction late next year or in early 2028.
- Officials expect phased traffic shifts starting when one new span opens in fall 2033, demolition of the old Sagamore in winter 2033–34, full traffic on both replacement spans by winter 2036–37, and substantial completion by spring 2037.
- State crews have used eminent domain to buy nearby parcels and spent millions for staging areas, and the project will place bridge piers on land with public viewing platforms while off-site-built arches will be floated through the Cape Cod Canal and set by crane.
- The work responds to long-standing safety and capacity problems flagged by federal and state reviews, including a 2020 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommendation to replace both Cape Cod spans, though funding and firm dates for a Bourne Bridge replacement remain unresolved.