Environmental
On August 11, 2023, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), serving as lead federal agency for the Cape Cod Bridges Program, issued a determination that the Program will require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FHWA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the Cape Cod Bridges Program in the Federal Register on February 29, 2024. This NOI initiates the public scoping period that will assist in the preparation of the Draft EIS. The NOI also provides agency contact information to support public comment. A combined Final EIS/record of decision (ROD) Document is expected to be issued towards the end of February 2026.
Additional environmental details are available on the Environmental page.
Grants and funding
One of the largest considerations for the program is sourcing the necessary funding. We’re working to identify potential modes of funding as federal policies change and new opportunities become available.
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This authorized $1.2 Trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending. Much of the IIJA funding is available through competitive grant programs.
On Monday, December 4, the Program applied for $1.06 billion through the USDOT’s Bridge Investment Program (BIP).
Additionally, on Friday, December 15, 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that the Program has been awarded $372 million in competitive discretionary grant funding through the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG). This represents the full amount that the Program applied for in August 2023.
These funding requests and awards were specific to the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge. Funding for the replacement of the Bourne Bridge will be sought during subsequent rounds of discretionary funding. This phased approach to funding proposes the Sagamore Bridge be replaced first due to the immediate traffic and operational benefits resulting from its replacement. MassDOT and USACE remain committed to securing funding for the replacement of both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges. MassDOT is the lead applicant for these requests, applying jointly with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as the owner of the bridge.
MassDOT and USACE will also continue to monitor developments at the federal level for future grant opportunities.
Public outreach
The Cape Cod Bridges Program Team is continuing its inclusive and robust efforts to inform and engage the public, in line with our comprehensive Public Involvement Plan.
The Program will be hosting a round of public outreach this spring which will include a virtual public meeting on Thursday, April 25, as well as an in-person Open House in Bourne on May 13.
At these events, there will be information on the status of the Program, project funding and federal grants, scoping of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and next steps. All views and comments submitted in response to the events will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.
Since Summer 2021, a total of five rounds of public outreach have been conducted. Throughout each round of outreach, we have coordinated closely with stakeholders including the Program’s Advisory Group, elected officials, regional transit and planning agencies, local business owners, community organizations, and members of the public.
For more information on the public outreach process and outreach efforts, please visit the Public Outreach page. To get in touch with the Program team, submit a comment or query here.
