Early-Stage Works Begins on Cape Cod Bridge Replacement
Preliminary work has begun on a project to replace the Cape Cod bridges. On Monday, March 24, crews began drilling in areas around the Sagamore Bridge to obtain soil samples.
According to a Facebook post by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, signage and detours around the work area have gone up. The work will take place on weekdays through the end of April.
CBS News Boston reported that the current work is taking place near the Sagamore Recreation Area. Other areas where drilling will occur include Route 3/Route 6, Route 6/Scenic Highway, Meeting House Lane, Sandwich Road, Cranberry Highway, State Road, MidCape Connector, and the Canal Service Road.
MassDOT issued an advisory noting that the bridge work may require temporary daytime and evening lane and shoulder closures. When possible, work will be scheduled to avoid disruption during peak traffic times.
Why Are Soil Samples Needed for This Work?
According to MassDOT, engineers need to extract soil samples from the area around the bridge to study subsurface soil conditions such as strength and composition. The agency said these critical pieces of information allow engineers to design the bridge and its related infrastructure correctly.
As CBS News Boston reported, the Sagamore and Bourne bridges are more than 85 years old and have been classified as structurally deficient. These bridges serve approximately a quarter of a million people residing on Cape Cod and 5 million annual visitors to Massachusetts.
The state is focusing on replacing the Sagamore Bridge first because it sees slightly more vehicle traffic and crashes than the Bourne Bridge.
