Bourne Select Board approves edited comment letter to MassDOT on Sagamore Bridge design

The Bourne Select Board voted on Aug. 4 to submit an edited comment letter to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation about the Sagamore/Bourne Bridge design public hearing, aiming to clarify expectations for mitigation and to secure a memorandum of understanding between the town and MassDOT.

Board members debated wording after public input and department briefings. Vice chair Anne Marie said the draft “summarizes what we had presented at the public hearing” and urged inclusion of community feedback; select board member MJ suggested the letter explicitly state that it represents the Bourne Select Board and asked for wording changes that would not preempt future funding discussions. The board agreed to edit the language to read that the town needs to be “assured” of uninterrupted emergency access and to note that the project “does not have a mitigation budget and that funding is not currently available for any items beyond the bridge and roadway construction.”

The board also discussed requesting a memorandum of understanding with MassDOT to define mitigation and engagement. MJ said she preferred phrasing that acknowledged MassDOT’s current funding position but still left the door open to pursue additional state funding or earmarks. Chair (name not specified in the record) called for a motion; the board voted to approve the letter as edited and authorized the chair or town administrator to sign and submit it by the Aug. 6 deadline.

Why it matters: the town has been active at MassDOT design hearings and wants formal recognition of mitigation expectations and an MOU process so that community concerns about traffic, pedestrian and bicycle access and construction impacts are recorded and considered in MassDOT’s response.