HYANNIS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted a Mid-Cape meeting for public comment on their draft study for the replacement of the Cape Cod Canal bridges Wednesday night in Hyannis.
Residents gathered at Barnstable High School to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed plan to replace both the Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge.
Scott Acone, Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management for the New England District, said the amount of people who have shown up to the five meetings across the area has been encouraging.
“We’ve been pleased with the turnout, we’ve had a lot of people show up,” Acone said.
“We’ve gotten to interact with most of them. Overall, I’d say the tone is supportive. People are in support of the recommendation to replace the bridges.”
The Army Corps’ Draft Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Report calls for two new bridges with four travel lanes each, along with two auxiliary lanes per bridge and improved access for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Meetings about the draft began last week at Bourne High School. Acone said there have been common themes at the forums.
“I think the biggest questions and concerns relate to the path forward,” Acone continued.
“There are a lot of unknowns and until we enter into the design phase, which will be the next phase, we really can’t answer those questions because we just don’t know and it’s not worth it to speculate.”
Public comments and questions will be taken and consolidated as a part of the final report submitted to the Army Corps’ headquarters in Washington D.C.
Acone said the report will likely be submitted to headquarters in December, before a final decision is made. The New England division of the Army Corps is hoping to hear a final decision on the plan by February.
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