Boston (July 16, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey, member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Congressman Bill Keating (MA-09), and Governor Maura Healey today celebrated the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarding the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Army Corps of Engineers a $993 million grant for the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program. In total, $1.7 billion in federal funding will go toward replacing the Sagamore Bridge, as part of the broader Cape Cod Bridges Replacement Program.
Below is an excerpt of the Senator’s remarks:
“Over a decade of work has delivered us to this moment: the funding has landed. Thanks to dozens and dozens of meetings, countless letters, and close partnership with the Biden administration and Army Corps of Engineers, we will ensure that residents and visitors can access the beauty, opportunity, and community of Cape Cod and the Islands for generations to come. This funding is truly a bridge to a greener, brighter, and prosperous future.
“$1.7 billions in funding for the bridges is a testament to the power of all levels of government working together to provide real, concrete benefits for the people of Massachusetts. It builds on a remarkable streak of investment by the Biden-Harris administration in the biggest infrastructure projects in our Commonwealth.”
Local leaders in attendance included:
- Sen. Susan Moran
- Sen. Julian Cyr
- Rep. Kip Diggs
- Rep. Dylan Fernandes
- Rep. Chris Flanagan
- Rep. Sarah Peake
- Frank Callahan, President of the MA Building Trades
- Paul Niedzwiecki, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO
- Marie Oliva, Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber President
- Kristy Senatori, Cape Cod Commission Executive Director
- Andrew Gottlieb, Association to Preserve Cape Cod Executive Director
- Marlene McCollum, Bourne Town Manager
In 2020, the Army Corps released its report concluding that constructing new bridges would improve travel, safety, and accessibility to and from the Cape. Following this report, the lawmakers worked to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide additional funds to replace the Bridges, including $5 billion for the Mega program, $11 billion in new funding for the Corps, and more than $9 billion in formula funds for Massachusetts. The lawmakers then convened meetings with key federal, state, and local leaders in January and April 2022 to coordinate efforts to replace the Bridges.
Learn more about Senator Markey’s efforts in support of Cape Cod bridges replacement here.
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