List of crossings of the Cape Cod Canal

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Center of the canal

This is a list of crossings of the Cape Cod Canal from its east end in Cape Cod Bay to its west end in Buzzards Bay. The Cape Cod Canal, which opened in 1914, shortened the ocean route from New York City to Boston by 62 miles (100 km).[1]

Crossings

There are currently two automobile bridges and one railway bridge that cross the Cape Cod Canal, each of which opened in 1935. An earlier set of bridges, also two for automobiles and one for rail traffic, opened between 1911 and 1913. Construction of the Cape Cod Canal began in 1909; the canal initially opened in 1914 and was completed in 1916. Two earlier bridges (one automobile and one railroad) whose construction predated work on the canal and were built to span the Monument River (whose course was largely followed by the canal) are listed for completeness.

Entries in this list are ordered by location along the canal, from Cape Cod Bay to Buzzards Bay.

Crossing	Carries	Location	Built	Image	Coordinates	Ref.
Sagamore Highway Bridge (former)		Sagamore	1912–1913		41°46′30.21″N 70°31′59.52″W	[2][3][4][5]
Sagamore Bridge	U.S. Route 6		1933–1935		41°46′34.14″N 70°32′36.13″W	[6]
Bourne Bridge	Route 28	Bourne	1933–1935		42°50′1.19″N 70°54′24.53″W	[7]
Highway bridge (former)	Old Bridge Road		1897–1898		41.7459°N 70.5962°W / 41.7459; -70.5962	[8][9]
Railroad bridge (former)	Cape Cod Branch Railroad		1848		41.7449°N 70.6034°W / 41.7449; -70.6034 (Original railroad bridge)	^[citation needed]
Bourne Highway Bridge (former)	Perry Avenue		1910–1911		41.7448°N 70.6009°W / 41.7448; -70.6009 (Bourne Highway Bridge)	[6][7]
Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge	Cape Main Line (current)		1933–1935		41°44′31.16″N 70°36′49.15″W	[10]
Railroad bridge (former)	New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad		1910–1911		41°44′31.0″N 70°36′49.8″W	[6]

Proposed third road bridge

Due to gridlock during peak summer months, and growing traffic issues even off-season, constructing a third automobile bridge over the canal was a topic of discussion for many years.

Such a bridge was first proposed during the 1950s to connect the proposed Route 25 to U.S. Route 6 north of the canal. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts determined that due to overcapacity on the Sagamore Bridge, a third vehicular crossing would be necessary sometime after 1975. Another proposal, for the Southside Connector expressway, suggested twinning the Bourne Bridge as part of capacity improvements for the roadway.[11] A local farmer fought the state's effort to cross her land with Route 25 for 25 years, eventually winning that fight in 1982.[12]

The proposal for a third crossing was revived under the administration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Identifying itself as Project SPAN,[13] the effort floated two plans:

• One proposal would involve a three-lane, southbound-only bridge to the west of the current Sagamore Bridge. These additional lanes would allow the Sagamore Bridge's four narrow lanes (two each way) to be reduced to three wider northbound lanes. This proposal also called for open-road tolling, meaning that drivers would not have to slow down. There would also be an access road between Route 25 and Route 3, again proposed to cross the same farmland, which former Massachusetts Highway Administrator Frank DePaola admitted presents environmental challenges.[14]
• The other proposal would place an additional bridge between the two bridges, a four-lane span similar to the existing bridges.[15][16][17]

By September 2016, enthusiasm for a third road bridge had cooled and the state reported that it was considering two new bridges that would eventually replace the existing bridges.[18]

See also

• Cape Cod Canal Tunnel

References

1. American Geographic Society "The Opening of the Cape Cod Canal" (1914)
2. "The Creation of The Bourne, Sagamore and Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridges That Exist Today". mtholyoke.edu. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
3. "Cape Cod Canal is About Half Completed Now". The Evening Herald. Fall River, Massachusetts. January 30, 1912. p. 11. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
4. "New Issue of Securities by Cape Cod Canal Co". The Evening Herald. Fall River, Massachusetts. October 16, 1912. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
5. "Expect Canal Will Be Finished in Time". The Boston Globe. March 29, 1913. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
6. Reid, William (1961). The Building of The Cape Cod Canal: 1627-1914. New York City: George McKibbin And Son Inc. p. 131. ASIN B000H5N596.
7. Turner, Lane; Tuite, Lisa (8 August 2012). "Cape Cod Canal and bridges". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
8. "Much Activity Expected: Works on Monument and Back River Bridges Will Soon Begin". The Boston Globe. July 27, 1897. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
9. "Monument River Bridge in Position". The Boston Globe. February 17, 1898. p. 6. Retrieved May 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
10. "The Cape Cod Canal's Vertical Lift Railway Bridge" (PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
11. "MA 25 Expressway-Historic Overview". Eastern Roads. 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
12. AP (10 October 1982). "Farmer Wins 25-Year Fight Over Cape Road". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
13. "Project SPAN: Third Crossing of Cape Cod Canal" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Retrieved 2017-01-26.
14. Cassidy, Patrick (25 May 2014). "Third bridge no 'pie in the sky'". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
15. Chesto, Jon (25 May 2015). "Investors sought for a new Cape Cod bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
16. "State Considering A Third Cape Cod Bridge". WBZ-TV. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
17. Barber, C. Ryan (24 May 2015). "Talk of third Cape Cod Canal bridge still in 'concept stage'". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
18. "State: Third Canal Bridge Off The Table". CapeNews.net. Retrieved 2017-01-26.