July 12, 2024

Warren, Markey, Keating, Healey Secure Billion Dollar Grant for Cape Cod Bridge Replacement

Two years ago, there were zero federal dollars for these bridges; now, the lawmakers have secured $1.7 billion to replace the Cape Cod Bridges.

Washington, D.C. – Today, after more than five years of advocacy, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Congressman Bill Keating (D-Mass.), and Governor Maura Healey announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Army Corps of Engineers a billion dollar grant to replace the Cape Cod Bridges under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program. 

Senators Warren and Markey, Congressman Keating, and Governor Healey have secured more than $1.7 billion in federal funding to replace the Cape Cod Bridges. The Sagamore and Bourne Bridges are vital infrastructure supporting the economy of Cape Cod and surrounding communities and ensuring safe and reliable travel for residents, workers, and millions of annual visitors.

“Massachusetts just hit a billion dollar home run to start replacing the Cape Cod Bridges. Two years ago, we had zero dollars in funding for these bridges,” said Senator Warren. “Now, thanks to my work with Senator Markey, Representative Keating, Governor Healey, and the rest of the delegation, we have over $2 billion in state and federal funds to replace these bridges for our Cape Cod communities.” 

“This is a game-changing award for Massachusetts. We’ve never been closer to rebuilding the Cape Cod Bridges than we are right now. This funding will be critical for getting shovels in the ground,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We promised the people of Massachusetts that we were going to bring home this funding and get these bridges built – and we’re delivering. I’m grateful for the partnership of the Biden-Harris administration, Senators Markey and Warren, and Congressman Keating, which made this all possible.” 

“Today is a momentous day for the Cape, the Islands, and all of Massachusetts. The Sagamore and Bourne Bridges are the gateway to the Cape, and this federal funding is the missing piece to replace the Sagamore Bridge and launch Phase One of the project to replace both bridges,” said Senator Markey. “Replacing these aging bridges will bring immense economic, environmental, and social benefits to the region and the entire Commonwealth. Securing these funds is the result of strong partnership at all levels, and with this grant, the Biden administration continues to demonstrate that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for Massachusetts and the entire country.”  

“From my first day in office, replacing the Cape Cod Bridges has been one of my top priorities for our region, and this grant is the culmination of over a decade of that work,” said Congressman Bill Keating. “The question is no longer about how to fund the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge but when shovels will go in the ground to build it. The new Sagamore Bridge will be more than just a connection between two sides of the Canal, it is a lifeline for the quarter of a million people who live on Cape Cod and the economic driver that brings workers and tourists back and forth every day. This was a highly competitive grant application process that Senator Warren, Senator Markey and myself have worked tirelessly on to get to today, and we cannot discount the impact of Governor Healey’s leadership and the full-throated support of the entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation to get this done.”

Replacing the bridges will bring the bridges into a state of good repair, lower the long-term maintenance costs, address issues with traffic operations, improve safety by reducing crashes by as much as 48 percent, and preserve and enhance productivity through new direct jobs and other economic benefits. The new design will also create more sustainable transit options, including shared-use paths to fill transportation gaps and ensure full accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with mobility devices.  

Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating have long advocated to secure funding for the Cape Cod Bridges: 

  • In March 2024, the entire Massachusetts congressional delegation sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, reaffirming their support for Massachusetts’ billion-dollar Bridge Investment Program (BIP) grant application to replace the Cape Cod Bridges, in light of the $350 million in funding from the FY 2024 funding package signed by President Biden and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $372 million Mega grant.
  • In March 2024, Senators Markey and Warren and Congressman Keating secured $350 million for the Cape Cod Bridges in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act.
  • In February 2024, Senators Warren and Markey sent a letter to U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Interim Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ranking Member John Kennedy (R-La.), urging the Senators to ensure the final Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill included $350 million in funding to help replace the Cape Cod Bridges.
  • In December 2023, following the advocacy of the delegation, the Department of Transportation awarded Massachusetts a $372 million grant through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program toward the replacement of the Sagamore. 
  • In November 2023, the Massachusetts Congressional delegation sent a letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg supporting MassDOT and the Corps’ application for funding through the Bridge Investment Program. 
  • In September 2023, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating sent a letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg supporting Massachusetts’ application for funding through the 2022 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) and urging DOT to provide funding to the Cape Cod Bridges Program to replace the vitally important Sagamore and Bourne Bridges. 
  • In July 2023, Senator Warren sent letters to 36 Cape Cod community stakeholders, including state elected officials, local elected officials, Tribal leaders, and community organizations, seeking their input on how the aging Bourne and Sagamore Bridges are impacting communities, businesses, and residents on and around Cape Cod. Senator Warren is seeking this information as part of her effort to ensure the federal government lives up to its commitments to replace the bridges.
  • In May 2023, Senators Warren and Markey and Representatives Keating and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, urging him to exercise his authority to support installation resilience in order to provide funding for the replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges.
  • In May 2023, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating sent a letter to the Federal Highway Administration, requesting them to expedite feedback from the technical review requested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) of the Cape Cod Canal Bridges project, which seeks to explore the scope, schedule and cost of the Cape Cod Bridges Project.
  • In March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren highlighted her push to secure funding for the Cape Cod Canal Bridges Project.
  • In March 2023, Senators Warren and Markey announced and applauded the inclusion of $350 million, toward a commitment of $600 million, in President Biden’s budget for the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. 
  • In February 2023, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating sent a letter to Jamey L. Tesler, Acting Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) regarding the need for MassDOT to act quickly to take the necessary steps to obtain funding for the Cape Cod Bridges and to closely coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit a more competitive federal grant application in fiscal 2023.
  • In August 2022, the lawmakers wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttegieg in support of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the MassDOT application for funding through the FY2022 Bridge Investment Program Funding Opportunity.
  • In May 2022, the lawmakers wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttegieg in support of the USACE and the MassDOT application for funding in the 2022 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) program to replace the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges.
  • In January 2022, Senator Warren convened a meeting with leaders from the Corps, MassDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to detail efforts to replace the Bridges and again in April 2022 with MassDOT and the Corps. 
  • In November 2021, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating worked to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide the Corps with a more than $11 billion increase in funding specifically for new construction projects and more than $9 billion in formula funds for Massachusetts. 
  • In April 2020, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating commended the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for its final “Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Report” on the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges in Cape Cod.
  • In February 2020, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to recommit to an earlier recommendation to replace the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges. 
  • In December 2019, Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating sent a letter to the two top officials in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), calling on them to adopt the recommendation of the USACE’s New England District and replace both Cape Cod Canal Bridges.
  • In October 2019, as part of America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, Senators Warren and Markey secured language directing the Army Corps of Engineers to repair or replace critical evacuation routes, such as the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges.
  • Also in October 2019, Senators Warren and Markey, and Congressman Keating, commended the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its draft “Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Report” on the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges in Cape Cod.
  • In May 2019, Senators Markey and Warren, and Congressman Keating, introduced the Enhancing the Strength and Capacity of America’s Primary Evacuation Routes (ESCAPE) Act, legislation that dedicates $1 billion of federal resources to expand the capacity and improve the resilience of evacuation routes such as the Sagamore and Bourne bridges.
  • In June 2019, Congressman Keating secured $5 million in the House’s Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) Appropriations Bill for the redesign of the bridges in their role as federally designated escape routes.
  • In July of 2019, Senator Markey secured both the ESCAPE Act and a $3.265 billion nation-wide bridge investment program in the highway funding bill passed by the Environment and Public Works Committee.

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