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Replacing the Cape Cod Bridges
As a man-made island connected by two roadways and a rail line, Cape Cod's economic future hinges on transportation access to and from the mainland. Two 88-year-old bridges, the Sagamore and the Bourne, currently provide the only vehicle access points for Cape Cod's 230,000 year-round residents, more than 8,500 businesses, and 5 million annual visitors. When these two bridges were built in 1935, they collectively saw fewer than 1 million annual crossings. Today, traffic on the bridges exceeds 38 million crossings per year, roughly equivalent to the Golden Gate Bridge.
In recent years, both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges have required increasingly frequent maintenance, resulting in both community and business impacts. The bridges are approaching the end of their serviceable lifespan and are considered functionally obsolete and structurally deficient. If not replaced, the bridges will soon require major rehabilitation work, leading to months-long lane restrictions and bridge closures. A complete closure of either bridge would result in an unprecedented disruption to the regional economy.
The development and implementation of a plan to replace the existing Canal bridges is a major public safety and economic concern. For more than a decade, the Cape Cod Chamber has been a leader in urging the Army Corps of Engineers, who maintain these bridges, and MassDOT, who owns the connecting roadways, to urgently identify a clear funding and replacement plan for both bridges.
The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce remains committed to seeing the replacement of both the Sagamore and the Bourne Bridges through to completion. More information on this effort will be shared here as it becomes available.
CAPE & ISLANDS BRIDGES COALITION
In early 2024, the Cape Cod Chamber announced the formation of the Cape & Islands Bridges Coalition (CIBC), a group of nearly 50 business and community leaders committed to supporting full funding and replacement of both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges. The CIBC was formed by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce in response to business and community concerns related to the nearly 90-year-old Cape Cod bridges.
CIBC MEMBERS*
Dan Wolf (Co-Chair), Founder Cape Air/Former Senator Cape & Islands
Paul Niedzwiecki (Co-Chair), CEO, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
Mike Lauf (Founder), President and CEO, Cape Cod Healthcare
DeWitt Davenport (Founder), CEO, The Davenport Companies
Lisa Oliver (Founder), Chair of the Board, President and CEO, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod
Bert Talerman (Founder), President, Cape Cod 5
Greg Bilezikian and Jeff Bilezikian (Founders), Partners, Turtle Rock Real Estate Management and Development
Bill Bogdanovich, CEO and President, Broad Reach Healthcare
Peter Burke, Fire Chief, Hyannis Fire Department
Thomas Cahir, Administrator, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
Sarah Chace, Partner, Mashpee Commons
Alton Chun, Chief Operating Officer, Upland Capital/Harbor View Hotel
Jim Connolly, President, Eldredge and Bourne Moving
John Cox, President, Cape Cod Community College
Robert Davis, Advisor, Former General Manager, The Steamship Authority
Eric Dykeman, Manager, South Shore Chamber of Commerce
Heath Eldredge, Chief of Police, Town of Brewster
Mark Ells, Town Manager, Town of Barnstable
David Fantini, President, Brockton Area Building Trades Council
Rob Galibois, Cape and Islands District Attorney
Peter Gori, Nauset Farms
Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director, Association to Preserve Cape Cod
Michael Kasparian, President and CEO, Falmouth Chamber of Commerce
Marlene McCollem, Town Administrator, Town of Bourne
Susan Moran, Barnstable County Clerk of Courts, Former State Senator
Robert Newman, General Manager, Ocean Edge Resort
Marie Oliva, President and CEO, Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce
Rick Orton, Director of Administration, Cape Cod Express
David Panagore, COO, Mercedes Cab/Cape Destinations
Joe Perkins, President and CEO, Communication Management, Inc.
Stacie Peugh, President and CEO, YMCA Cape Cod
Jim Pimental, President, Southeastern Massachusetts Building Trades Council
Leslie Sandberg, Provincetown Select Board/ Government Affairs Director, Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors
Dorothy Savarese, President of the Board, Cape Cod Climate Collaborative
Anne Scott-Putney, President and CEO, Heritage Museum and Gardens
Kristy Senatori, Executive Director, Cape Cod Commission
Michael Sharlet, Managing Director, Wychmere Beach Club
Tony Shepley, President, Shepley Wood Products
Alex Theoharidis, Chief Executive Officer, Coastal Medical Transportation Systems
Brooke Thomson, President and CEO, Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Gary Thulander, Area Managing Director, Wequassett Resort and Golf Club
Ian Tromblay, Vice President of Public Policy, One SouthCoast
Membership of the CIBC is updated periodically. For more information contact Lauren@capecodchamber.org
RESOURCES
Cape Cod Bridges Program - MassDOT
Cape Cod Canal Bridges: Vital Lifeline to the Cape & Islands - Cape Cod Commission
Cape Cod Bridges Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Report - US Army Corps of Engineers