The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has begun the process of selecting a design and construction team to replace the 91-year-old Sagamore Bridge, announcing the release of a request for proposals for the estimated $2.5 billion project.
The project is the initial phase of the agency’s Cape Cod Bridges program, which also includes the eventual replacement of the nearby Bourne Bridge. Both Cape Cod Canal crossings are operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, which built the bridges in the early 1930s, and represent the only road links to the peninsula. The bridges are considered “functionally obsolete,” with the Corps rating the Sagamore Bridge in fair condition and the Bourne Bridge rated in poor condition.
With a goal of starting construction in the winter of 2027, MassDOT’s plan for the Sagamore Bridge calls for separate east and westbound spans, similar in appearance to the 1,400-foot-long, 40-foot-wide steel arch structure. The new sections will include 12-foot travel lanes and 10- and 4-foot-wide shoulders. The westbound section will also provide a 14-foot-wide path for bicyclists and pedestrians.
According to MassDOT, the bridge’s main spans must be built off-site, floated in the channel and lifted into place. The eastbound span is scheduled to open to traffic in 2033, after which the existing Sagamore Bridge will be demolished and construction of the new westbound span will begin.
Also included in the project are the reconstruction of highway interchanges and local and regional infrastructure improvements for Cape Cod’s year-round residents and more than five million annual visitors.
Responses to the RFP are due in May 2027, with a public opening of bids scheduled for the following July. The contract will include a requirement for a project labor agreement with the Southeastern Massachusetts Building Trades Council and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.
The announcement of the release of the RFP coincides with the receipt of nearly $1 billion in federal Bridge Improvement Program grants for the project, with an additional $371 million from the Federal Highway Administration to be authorized in October. Previously secured federal grants and state bond funds allowed MassDOT to begin foundation load testing for the new bridge in May, with piles driven up to 90 feet deep, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, MassDOT and the Corps are awaiting a decision on their request for $1 billion in federal grants to replace the 2,384-foot-long Bourne Bridge. Under a 2020 memorandum of understanding between Massachusetts and the Corps, MassDOT will assume ownership and maintenance of the structures and approaches after the replacement program is complete.
