Massachusetts Governor Healey announces $350 million for Cape Cod bridge reconstruction

The Healey administration says it has secured $350 million in federal aid to rebuild one of two bridges leading to Cape Cod.

In a statement released Friday, the Democratic governor’s office said it signed a “memorandum of understanding” with the U.S. Department of the Army and the Federal Highway Administration to rebuild the Sagamore Bridge.

“We continue to make significant progress in our efforts to rebuild both Cape Cod bridges,” Healey said in the administration’s statement.

“Having secured $1.72 billion in federal funding, we are now moving forward with an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Army and the Federal Highway Administration that will allocate a crucial portion of this funding and allow us to begin the construction of the Sagamore Bridge,” she continued.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Federal Highway Administration will receive a previously approved $350 million infusion that the agency’s Eastern Federal Lands Division will use to build part of the new Sagamore Bridge.

The project will be part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s overall replacement effort, the administration said.

The agreement is a “crucial step demonstrating the strong collaboration between Massachusetts, the Army Corps and the U.S. Department of Transportation to keep Cape Cod connected to the state and region for generations to come,” Kristin said White, acting federal highway administrator.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who is pushing for federal aid, said the announcement puts the state “one step closer to replacing Cape Cod’s bridges — a project decades overdue which will enable the entire region to recover.

The two bridges are “a lifeline to every person who lives or works on the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard,” said U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-9th District, who represents the Cape on Capitol Hill.

The agreement “represents a major step in ensuring that these lifelines are safe and accessible for generations to come,” the Democratic lawmaker added.

The state has so far landed $1.72 billion in federal funding for the bridge replacement program.

That includes $993 million in federal aid first announced in July, MassLive previously reported.

The state also pledged $700 million to support the effort, which will first rebuild the Sagamore Bridge and then replace the Bourne Bridge.

“This project has always been about partnership, and we thank the Healey Administration, the Congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued support and funding,” said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “We look forward to working with partners and stakeholders in the region to begin the next steps to make this project a reality.” »

In March, all 11 members of the state delegation on Capitol Hill lined up behind Massachusetts’ bid to secure critical federal funding for the Sagamore Bridge.

Warren, who is up for re-election in November, penned a March 19 letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in which he reaffirmed lawmakers’ support for the state’s request for $1 billion in funding through the agency’s Bridge Investment Program, arguing it will “bring immense social results.” , economic, public safety and environmental benefits for an iconic and nationally significant region.