More time allotted for public comment on canal bridge study

By Ethan Genter
Posted Oct 31, 2019

Army Corps now accepting feedback until Nov. 15.

CONCORD — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended the public comment period on its draft study that gives a preliminary recommendation to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, the federal agency announced Thursday.

Public comment on the study was supposed to end Nov. 1, but the Corps decided to extend it for two weeks to Nov. 15, according to a statement.

“We felt that since this is important to the future of Cape Cod and the region, we could afford to provide more time for the public to submit comments on the Corps recommendation in the MRER study,” Corps spokesman Timothy Dugan said. “We did receive one request to extend the comment period.”

In the study, released in early October, the Corps recommended replacing the two 84-year-old bridges with new, wider spans. It recommended six-lane bridges with four through lanes and two auxiliary lanes, along with shoulders, a median and a pedestrian and bicycle lane.

The goal of the study was to decide whether the Corps should continue to rehabilitate the bridges or build new ones. The agency has been holding public comment sessions on the plans both on-Cape and off.

Those comments will be considered before the Corps finalizes its report in February. A decision on whether to replace the bridges is expected in the spring.

The study can be found online at capecodcanalbridgesstudy.com.

Public comments can be submitted online at that website, and written comments can be submitted to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, (Attn: Craig Martin), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Comments also can be emailed to nae-pn-nav@usace.army.mil.