Canal bridges study: public meetings this week; Army Corps receives $1.6M planning grant, big bridge grant not awarded

Staff updated the MPO on the Cape Cod Canal bridges study and two public information meetings scheduled for the same week. Stephen Tupper said the study team will present bridge‑type feedback collected from community surveys, proposed lane configurations and potential bridge locations; both meetings will include Q&A at the end.

Tupper said the canal bridges project was not selected for the large bridge grant in the current round, which he described as disappointing given the project’s scope and the national competitiveness of the grant program. He noted that this bridge-grant program selected only four projects nationally in its first year and that many of those projects were further along in design. He added that the Army Corps was awarded approximately $1,600,000 in planning funds for the canal bridges to advance design work and that the White House press release highlighted the planning-grant program as an investment to prepare projects for future Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding opportunities.

Staff encouraged MPO members to attend the meetings (virtual option available via mass.gov) and said they had forwarded member questions to the study team. Members raised local concerns—linking lane limits, design and weight restrictions to traffic and adjacent development—and requested that staff forward outstanding questions to the study team before the public meetings.