Two public meetings hosted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation this week that centered on plans to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges was light on details and offered few answers to residentsâ questions.
The meetings were held remotely via Zoom on Tuesday and Wednesday, and June 29 and 30. The Tuesday session drew upwards of 300 participants. The project team readily admitted that the replacement project is in the very early stages of development, and the purpose of the meeting was primarily to get input from the public.
Many of the attendees for Tuesdayâs meeting asked questions relative to how construction of the new spans will impact their daily lives, if any land takings were planned, and if those takings would include their properties.
The $900 billion stimulus bill passed by the US Congress this week includes language regarding replacement of the Sagamore and Bourne bridges.
The nearly 5,600-page bill includes the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, a piece of legislation relative to water infrastructure around the country. Replacement of the Capeâs aging access bridges was one of 65 projects in the WRDA that the US Army could expedite to pre-construction planning, engineering and design.
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief package was approved on Monday, December 21, as part of a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund the federal government through September 30, 2021, the end of the current fiscal year.