Replacing the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges: UPDATE

The Bourne and Sagamore bridges that carry vehicle and truck traffic over the Cape Cod Canal are two of the most important lifelines for Cape Cod. Both spans are nearly 90 years old and in desperate need of replacement. On this edition of the Policy Pod, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Niedzwiecki talks with podcast co-host Matt Pitta from The Davenport Companies about a new task force that has been created to push the vital project forward. Already declared functionally obsolete, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains the bridges, previously said major maintenance work would be needed within five years. That project could possibly require each bridge to be completely closed for several months while work was underway. That's prompting local officials to urgently lobby for a stepped up timetable for replacement to avoid a potential economic calamity for Cape Cod. The new bridges are needed not to increase capacity on Cape Cod, but to allow life as Cape Codders know it to continue.