BOURNE – Representatives of the Coalition for The Fix spoke to the media Monday, seeking public support for replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges.
The Coalition, led by Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross and Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce CEO, Marie Oliva, want the public to know that the plan is moving forward from the concept phase to the project phase, being recommended in the state’s capital plan and in a regional transportation plan.
“We want to make sure that the public, our visitors and our residents and our business community all are aware of the fact that the Canal Area Transportation Plan is moving from a concept phase to a project phase,” said Northcross.
The plan, which has been labeled 3A by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, proposes new bridges, the reconstruction of the Bourne Rotary as a highway interchange, an extra Rout 6 eastbound travel lane, a three-legged roundabout in the Belmont Circle, and the relocation of Route 6 Exit 1C and the Scenic Highway on-ramp to Route 25 westbound.
If the plan is approved, funding would be provided to design a final product of roadway and bridge improvements.
The Coalition made it clear that their only concern is fixing the roads on Cape Cod and not adding more cars to the road.
“It’s not about putting more people on Cape Cod, this is about a reliable transportation system, the bridges are obsolete,” Northcross continued.
“It’s time for a new fix.”
The Coalition for The Fix was founded earlier this year by Northcross and Oliva, with the hope for state officials to consider plan 3A, which was presented by MassDOT in a meeting this past winter.
This plan would cause only minor reductions to summer traffic, but would make substantial strides in keeping traffic down in the off season, according to notes from MassDOT.
The work could cost hundreds of millions of dollars on top of the cost for new bridges.
At the Cape Cod Canal Transportation Study meeting in February, Fred Moseley, a technical engineer with Stantec, said that moving Exit 1C would cost about $64 million in 2030, a third lane on Route 6 would cost $65 million, and the reconstruction of the Bourne Rotary would be $136 million.
Bourne Town Administrator Thomas Guerino hopes that any decisions that are made are not made at the expense of Bourne and Sandwich.
A change has to come, though he said, the bridges are only getting older and need more long-term maintenance.
The Coalition is still awaiting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Study regarding replacement of the two bridges.
Anyone interested in learning more or getting involved in the Canal Area Transportation plan, contact the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
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