Chatham engineer urges county scrutiny of Cape Cod Canal bridge EIS, warns of 'induced travel'

Steve Buckley, an environmental engineer from Chatham, told Barnstable County commissioners that the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Cape Cod Canal bridge replacements does not adequately account for regional impacts and may understate how improved capacity could induce additional travel to the Cape.

Buckley, who said he previously worked on environmental impact statements for federal projects, said the draft EIS and supporting documents focus narrowly on the canal area rather than broader regional travel patterns. "If you build it, they will come," he warned, arguing that travel‑time improvements will remove a deterrent and could increase trips, with implications for wastewater, parking and other infrastructure.

Commissioners asked whether Buckley had filed formal comments; he said he had submitted comments to MassDOT and the Federal Highway Administration and urged the county and Cape Cod Commission to consider the project as a discretionary Development of Regional Impact (DRI) or to commission additional regional analysis.

A commissioner who said she has lived on the Cape for more than 50 years pushed back, saying she had never heard visitors say they choose not to come because of bridge traffic, highlighting uncertainty in projecting behavioral changes. Buckley said his point is that the EIS authors should explain their assumptions and the data behind their induced‑travel conclusions.

Next steps: Buckley and commissioners agreed to wait for the final EIS and for county staff to review responses; Buckley said he would consider returning with additional analysis if needed.