MassDOT announced on Jan. 14, 2026, that it will begin taking ownership of 13 homes as part of its project to replace the Sagamore Bridge.
According to MassDOT and the USACE, it has reached the end of its useful life.
The bridge carries 38 million vehicles per year and is vital to Cape Cod's economy, according to the state.
Luisa Paiewonsky, executive director of MassDOT's mega projects delivery office, told realtor.com that the agency is spacing out deed transfers to ensure that not all homeowners are looking for replacement properties at the same time.
"We commit to treating them with utmost respect, acknowledgment of the disruption that this is causing and of full commitment for full compensation for their homes and for their relocation expenses," she said when speaking with realtor.com.
"We would have been happy to have zero property takings, but the size of the bridge and the need for the bridge were so great that it was an unavoidable impact," Paiewonsky added.
According to a report by NBC 10 Boston, the state has a triple appraisal process, which offers homeowners the highest reasonable price for their homes.
Even with fair market values being offered for their houses, many of the homeowners are upset.
In an interview with CBS Boston, Joyce Michaud, one of the homeowners who has already lost a home, said she has less than 120 days to move out and has not yet found a reasonable replacement home.
Regarding the fair market value given for the house, Michaud added, "I would rather not have the money. In fact, I would be willing to pay them if they let me stay here forever."
"We don't want to cause disruption in people's lives," Paiewonsky told NBC 10 Boston. "But we have to build this bridge. And what we do owe property owners, in addition to our respect and sensitivity, is full compensation."
On the Cape Cod side of the Bourne Bridge, a diamond-shaped interchange would eliminate the rotary, while flyover ramps on the north side would separate local traffic from regional traffic.
At the site of the current Sagamore Bridge to the north, MassDOT is recommending an extension of Cranberry Highway and a new Sandwich Road Connector to keep local traffic flowing. The proposed layout also offers a direct connection to State Road on the north side of the bridge, according to the state agency.
Both bridge projects are being advanced as one program because the federal government grades applications based on how project-ready the program is, Cordeiro explained.
The work will be broken into distinct phases, with the Sagamore Bridge replacement slated to be built first because the state has almost completed procuring the money to erect the structure, likely to cost approximately $2.13 billion via a mix of federal grants, budget funds and a state contribution.
The current 40-ft.-wide Sagamore Bridge carries four lanes of U.S. 6 traffic between Cape Cod and the mainland, with two eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes.
In contrast, each new bridge will be 54 ft. wide, one of which will have a path for pedestrians and cyclists using the 135-mi.-long Claire Saltonstall Bikeway, linking Boston to Cape Cod.
The two new spans also will be built just west of the older structure, and their bridge piers will be on the edge of the canal rather than in the canal itself.
One span will be built first, then the old Sagamore Bridge will be dismantled and removed before the second span is erected. Each new bridge will have three lanes with one reserved for exiting and entering U.S. 6.
The state expects to complete permitting for Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and National Environmental Policy Act requirements by the spring of 2026. After that, environmental permits and procurement documents will be finalized around that fall to give to designers and builders.
If all goes without a hitch, construction could begin on the Sagamore Bridge in late 2027 or early 2028 and likely take six years to complete.
When the Sagamore and Bourne bridges were constructed starting in 1933, they changed the relationship between Cape Cod and the rest of Massachusetts and improved the viability of the Cape Cod Canal.
After the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914, with two original electrically operated, cantilever highway bridges and a single railroad bridge, it quickly became clear that these designs could not accommodate the significant volumes of vessel transits through the canal.
The solution was to reconstruct the bridges, at new elevated locations, with high 135-ft. vertical clearances, resulting in the current Sagamore and Bourne bridges being completed in 1935.
These structures have provided essential links between Cape Cod and the mainland, and immediately enhanced connectivity and accessibility to this important region. During the Great Depression, the construction of the bridges also provided an economic stimulus, with approximately 700 jobs at a critical time for local communities.
The bridge replacements will improve mobility and safety for everyone traveling over the canal as well as throughout the surrounding region, according to MassDOT.
The roadways of both bridges now consist of two lanes in each direction with a sidewalk on one side. Traffic delays are prevalent during the summer with frequent traffic backups. Higher than regional or state average crash rates and congestion can be attributed directly to the designs of the bridges.
The proposed twin bridge replacement will separate traffic in each direction to its own bridge, reducing the likelihood of numerous types of crashes, such as head-on collisions and sideswipe crashes in the opposite direction.
In addition, the bridges will have wider lanes, left and right shoulders, updated signs and pavement markings and an auxiliary lane to accommodate vehicles entering and exiting onto the local roadways to the north and south of the canal. These entrance/exit lanes will only extend for the length of the bridges and will allow for easier merging and more time for drivers to change lanes.
