MassDOT held its design public hearing on the new Sagamore Bridge Thursday night. It ran from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bourne High School.
If you missed it, you did not miss your chance. MassDOT is taking comments on the hearing through August 6.
Here is what was on the table and how to get your say on the record.
What a design hearing is
This is not a general update meeting. The state brings the design it plans to build, shows it to you and takes your comments on the record.
Timing is why it matters. Once a design is final, changes get slow and expensive. Comments made now still count.
This hearing was for the Sagamore. The Bourne gets its own hearing later.
What MassDOT put in front of people
- The design for the new Sagamore Bridge
- What it affects nearby
- Right of way. That means land the state needs to buy or use.
- How they plan to build it
- Detours and traffic plans during the work
- What happens next
- A short update on where the Bourne Bridge stands
The bike and walking path
The Cape Cod Canal Bikeway runs along both sides of the canal. The south side path doubles as the road the Army Corps uses to get between the two bridges.
Building the new Sagamore puts a work zone on part of that route. MassDOT has been drawing up a way to move walkers and cyclists around it.
Jonathan Gulliver is MassDOT’s highway administrator. Here is how he put it:
“Our priority is to create safe travel routes for everyone during construction of the new Sagamore Bridge and we have listened to residents, municipal leaders and elected officials about their desire to create a route for bicyclists and pedestrians around a small portion of a work zone on the Canal Service Road.”
Watch it yourself
MassDOT has posted the full recording of the hearing and the bridge renderings shown that night.
MassDOT is bundling the comments it received by topic and will post written responses, plus an FAQ, on its Cape Cod Bridges website. In the meantime, here is what residents and town officials said that night.
Comments are due August 6
MassDOT is taking comments on this hearing through August 6, 2026. Anything you send by then goes on the record for the Sagamore design.
Comment on the Cape Cod Bridges Program →
It takes a couple of minutes. It asks for your comment, your last name, your zip code and your email.
A few things worth knowing before you start:
- You can tag your comment with topics like Construction, Daily Commute, Recreation, Environmental or Personal property. Pick up to three.
- There is a map if your comment is about one specific spot. You drop a pin on it. Or you can just type the location instead.
- There is a slider for how you feel about the project, from In Favor to Not in Favor.
- Choose respond to me by e-mail if you want an answer back, not just a comment on file.
If the form gives you trouble, email pima@massdotpi.com.
If you would rather mail it
The form is the fast way. You can also send a letter, postmarked by August 6, to:
Attention: Cape Cod Bridges
Luisa Paiewonsky, Executive Director, Megaprojects Delivery Office
Anne Canady, Cape Cod Bridges Project Manager
State Transportation Building
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116
After August 6 the project comment form stays open. Comments still reach the project team, they just are not part of this hearing’s record.
What happens next
State and federal permits are expected by September 2026. That would move the Sagamore toward construction.
The Sagamore is fully funded. The Bourne is not. A $1.183 billion federal funding request for the Bourne is still under review.
The short version
The hearing is done. You have until August 6 to say what you think of the design.
MassDOT’s comment form takes two minutes. If you have something to say about this bridge, say it there.