Posted on November 17, 2021
BOURNE – President Joe Biden’s recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will go a long way towards helping to replace the aging Cape Cod Canal bridges, said lawmakers.
In a joint statement, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey alongside Congressman Bill Keating said numerous Massachusetts road, bridge and general infrastructure projects will benefit from the bill.
“With investments to repair our roads and bridges, improve public transit & rail, expand broadband, and secure clean water for our children, the bipartisan infrastructure bill is a big win for Massachusetts communities,” said Warren, Markey and Keating.
“For residents of Cape Cod & the Islands, this law could mean new opportunities to secure the required funds to replace the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, which would ensure the continued operation of these critical roadways that power the region’s economy.”
Several provisions within the infrastructure package could be utilized for the bridge replacements, including some of the $14 billion in Infrastructure for Rebuilding American (INFRA) Grants, the $12.5 billion in Bridge Investment Grants, the $5 billion Nationally Significant Project Grants, and $7.5 billion Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grants.
“These four provisions represent nearly $40 billion in federal infrastructure funds that could be targeted for the Canal Bridge replacement project,” said Warren, Markey, and Keating in the statement.
Billions have also been made available to the Commonwealth and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers through other programs, said the lawmakers.
“A portion of these funds are only available because of the forward-thinking steps the Commonwealth took in signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Army Corps of Engineers on the future of the bridges. The MOU between MassDOT and the ACOE ensures that the bridge replacement projects will be eligible for any funding opportunity.”
The lawmakers said that they will continue to pursue funding from the Biden Administration for projects like the bridge replacements.
