Targeting a winter 2027 construction start, MassDOT’s plan for the Sagamore Bridge calls for separate east- and westbound spans similar in appearance to the existing 1,400-ft-long, 40-ft-wide steel arch structure. The new spans will include 12-ft travel lanes, and 10- and 4-ft-wide shoulders. The westbound span will also provide a 14-ft-wide pathway for cyclists and pedestrians.

According to MassDOT, the bridge’s main spans are to be constructed off site, floated in on the canal and lifted into place. The eastbound span is scheduled to be open to traffic in 2033, after which the existing Sagamore Bridge will then be demolished, and construction on the new westbound span will get underway.

Also included in the project are reconstruction of roadway interchanges and improvements to local and regional infrastructure for Cape Cod’s year-round residents and more than five million annual visitors.

Responses to the RFP are due in May 2027, with a public bid opening scheduled for the following July. The contract will include a requirement for a project labor agreement with the Southeastern Massachusetts Building Trades Council and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

Announcement of the RFP release coincides with the receipt of nearly $1 billion in federal Bridge Improvement Program grant funding for the project, with an additional $371 million from the Federal Highway Administration expected to be authorized in October. Previously secured federal grants and state bond funds allowed MassDOT to begin foundation load testing for the new bridge in May, with piles driven up to 90 ft deep, according to local media reports.

Meanwhile, MassDOT and the Corps are awaiting a decision of their application for $1 billion in federal grant funding for replacing the 2,384-ft-long Bourne Bridge. Under a 2020 memorandum of understanding between Massachusetts and the Corps, MassDOT will assume ownership and maintenance of both structures and approaches once the replacement program is complete.