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Transportation
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 May 2024, the Cape Cod Chamber announced the formation of the Cape & Islands Bridges Coalition (CIBC), a group of more than 35 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), Cape Air
Bert Talerman (Founder), Cape Cod 5
Mike Lauf (Founder), Cape Cod Healthcare
DeWitt Davenport (Founder), The Davenport Companies
Greg Bilezikian, Lighthouse Keeper's Pantry
Bill Bogdanovich, Broad Reach Healthcare
Peter Burke, Fire Chief, Hyannis
Thomas Cahir, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
Sarah Chace, Mashpee Commons
Alton Chun, Upland Capital/Harbor View Hotel
Jim Connolly, Eldredge and Bourne
John Cox, Cape Cod Community College
Robert Davis, The Steamship Authority
Eric Dykeman, South Shore Chamber of Commerce
Heath Eldredge, Police Chief, Town of Brewster
Mark Ells, Town of Barnstable
David Fantini, Brockton Area Building Trades Council
Rob Galibois, Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office
Peter Gori, Nauset Farms
Andrew Gottlieb, Association to Preserve Cape Cod
Michael Kasparian, Falmouth Chamber of Commerce
Marlene McCollem, Town of Bourne
Su Moran, State Senator - Plymouth & Barnstable
Therese Murray, Rasky Partners
Bob Newman, Ocean Edge Resort
Maria Oliva, Canal Area Chamber of Commerce
Lisa Oliver, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod
Rick Orton, Director of Administration, Cape Cod Express
David Panagore, Mercedes Cab/Cape Destinations
Joe Perkins, Communication Management, Inc.
Stacie Peugh, YMCA Cape Cod
Jim Pimental, Southeastern Massachusetts Building Trades Council
Leslie Sandberg, Provincetown Select Board/Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors
Dorothy Savarese, Cape Cod Climate Collaborative
Anne Scott-Putney, Heritage Museum and Gardens
Kristy Senatori, Cape Cod Commission
Michael Sharlet, Wychmere Beach Club
Tony Shepley, Shepley Wood Products
Alex Theoharidis, Coastal Ambulance
Brooke Thomson, Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Ian Tromblay, One SouthCoast
*Membership of the CIBC is still being finalized, and this list is subject to change.
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