Cape Cod Bridges team says DEIR public comment period closes Oct. 24; funding and design work continue

MassDOT project representative Louisa Piyewanski told the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization on Oct. 20 that the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Cape Cod Bridges project — the Sagamore and Bourne bridge replacements — is in public review and that the comment period closes Oct. 24.

The presentation summarized the program’s schedule and findings and outlined funding. "MassDOT and the Federal Highway Administration last January executed funding agreements that ratified the award of $1,300,000,000 in federal grant funds," Piyewanski said, adding that the Commonwealth has pledged more than $750 million and that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signaled a roughly $350 million contribution for the Sagamore Bridge. She said the project team had not received official notice that the Corps contribution was frozen following a widely circulated Office of Management and Budget message about paused Corps projects.

Why it matters: The bridges are federally owned assets; project timing, permitting and design steps are already underway and depend on coordination among MassDOT, the Corps and federal reviewers. The DEIR and the pending federal environmental review are key steps before final permitting and construction can proceed.

What the DEIR and project team say: Piyewanski highlighted findings the agency is presenting in the DEIR, including projections of reduced vehicle hours traveled and delays, lower pollutant emissions from less idling, and a crash reduction estimate of up to 48% by separating traffic on new parallel structures. She also described planned nearly 14-foot shared-use paths to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and said the design will seek to evoke historic elements where the Sagamore Bridge is eligible for the National Register.

Questions and concerns: Board members and public commenters raised several specific points. John York, a resident, pressed the project team on bicycle and pedestrian access to and from the bridges and said he had seen conflicting answers at an open house about whether adjacent approach roadways require shared-use paths. Piyewanski said those technical details will be addressed in the final environmental documents and that the team is tracking inconsistencies raised at the open house. On induced demand, Piyewanski said the project’s traffic analysis does not show a net increase in daily trips driven by the new bridges, noting that demand is typically tied to land-use changes rather than to replacement of an existing crossing.

Next steps: Piyewanski said the state certificate from the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs is due Oct. 31, after which the team will prepare the final EIR; the team expects to complete state permitting by 2026. The federal NEPA process (draft EIS) remains pending FHWA clearance to file; the project team said it expects that clearance soon and will schedule public meetings associated with the federal review when the draft EIS is posted.

The Cape Cod MPO discussion also noted ongoing design milestones: preliminary design for Sagamore has been submitted for review and preliminary drawings for Bourne are expected later in the month; structural sketch plans for both bridges are planned by March 2026. Piyewanski recommended ongoing public engagement and invited board members and residents to submit DEIR comments before Oct. 24.

The meeting record shows the MPO did not adopt any formal action on the bridges at this session; the presentation served as an update and an invitation to participate in the DEIR process.