Massachusetts has released a request for proposals for the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge, moving the $1.6 billion project into its final procurement phase.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is seeking a design-build team to design and construct the new bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. The state also secured authorization for $956 million in federal grant funding for the project.
The Federal Highway Administration expects to authorize another $371 million in federal funding in mid-October. The additional award would further support one of Massachusetts’ largest transportation projects.
The RFP follows MassDOT’s request for letters of interest in March and its request for qualifications in May. Final technical and price proposals are due in May 2027, with a public price opening scheduled for July.
MassDOT expects to issue a Notice to Proceed in late 2027. Current state materials call for construction to begin in winter 2027-2028.
A 91-Year-Old Bridge Nears Replacement
The Sagamore Bridge opened to traffic in 1935. The nearby Bourne Bridge opened the same year.
The two bridges provide the only major highway connections between Cape Cod and mainland Massachusetts. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates both structures.
The Sagamore Bridge carries U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal. It serves residents, commuters, commercial traffic, emergency responders and millions of visitors traveling to and from Cape Cod.
Cape Cod has approximately 230,000 year-round residents and receives more than five million visitors annually.
The replacement program aims to address the long-term capacity, safety and reliability limitations of the existing crossing. It also seeks to maintain access during construction.
Two New Bridge Spans Planned
The project will replace the existing Sagamore Bridge with two new bridge spans.
The new eastbound span is expected to open in 2033. Traffic will then shift onto the new structure while crews demolish the existing bridge.
Construction of the second span will follow in the footprint of the current bridge.
MassDOT plans to maintain two traffic lanes in each direction throughout construction. The approach will preserve the crossing’s existing roadway capacity while crews build the replacement.
The project also includes reconstructed roadway interchanges and improvements to local and regional traffic movements.
Plans call for safer facilities for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. The new crossing will also include a shared-use path and other multimodal improvements.
Funding Supports $1.6B Replacement
The Sagamore replacement is expected to cost more than $1.6 billion.
The wider Cape Cod Bridges Program, which also includes replacement of the Bourne Bridge, is estimated to cost more than $4.5 billion.
The program combines federal and state funding with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Massachusetts has committed $700 million to the broader bridges program, while the Army Corps has provided $350 million for bridge replacement work.
The state also expects additional federal funding for the Sagamore project as the procurement process advances.
The design-build contract will include a project labor agreement requirement covering the construction workforce. The agreement has drawn competing cost estimates and criticism over its potential effect on the project’s price.
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance has estimated that the labor agreement could add as much as $293 million. Healey administration officials have disputed that estimate and questioned its methodology.
Sagamore Leads the Cape Cod Bridges Program
The Sagamore replacement is the first major construction phase of the Cape Cod Bridges Program.
MassDOT and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have also sought more than $1 billion in federal funding for the Bourne Bridge replacement. That application remains pending.
The two agencies are working with the Federal Highway Administration on the broader replacement program.
The existing bridges date to the 1930s and were built for traffic conditions that differ significantly from those on Cape Cod today.
Replacing both crossings will require construction while maintaining access across the canal. The program therefore uses phased construction to keep traffic moving during the transition.
MassDOT has already begun foundation load testing and other preliminary activities associated with the Sagamore replacement.
What Happens Next
The RFP release does not mean a contractor has been selected or that major construction will begin immediately.
MassDOT’s procurement schedule calls for final technical and price proposals in May 2027. The agency expects to open prices publicly in July.
The state then plans to select the design-build team, complete contract requirements and issue a Notice to Proceed.
MassDOT expects the Notice to Proceed in late 2027, followed by construction in winter 2027-2028.
If the current schedule holds, the new eastbound span could open in 2033. The second span and remaining roadway work would follow, with overall project completion expected later in the decade.
The RFP marks a significant shift for the Sagamore replacement. The project is moving from planning, design and funding work into a competitive process to select the team responsible for construction.
Additionally, the Sagamore Bridge replacement is entering its final procurement phase as Massachusetts prepares to select a design-build team for the $1.6 billion project. The development follows the ongoing Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement in Baltimore, where Maryland is advancing a multi-contract construction strategy for the new crossing after the 2024 bridge collapse. Both projects highlight the scale and complexity involved in replacing major bridge connections while planning for long-term regional mobility.
Factsheet: Sagamore Bridge Replacement
- Project: Sagamore Bridge Replacement
- Location: Bourne, Massachusetts, over the Cape Cod Canal
- Lead agency: Massachusetts Department of Transportation
- Federal partners: Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Bridge owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Existing bridge: Opened in 1935
- Bridge age: 91 years
- Estimated Sagamore replacement cost: More than $1.6 billion
- Estimated Cape Cod Bridges Program cost: More than $4.5 billion
- Federal funding authorized: $956 million
- Additional federal funding expected: $371 million
- Procurement method: Design-build
- RFP released: September 2026
- Final proposals due: May 2027
- Public price opening: July 2027
- Expected Notice to Proceed: Late 2027
- Expected construction start: Winter 2027-2028
- Expected eastbound span opening: 2033
- Traffic during construction: Two lanes in each direction planned
- Wider program: Replacement of both Sagamore and Bourne bridges
- Bourne Bridge funding: More than $1 billion in federal funding requested; application pending
- Cape Cod population: Approximately 230,000 year-round residents
- Annual visitors: More than five million
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