Feds appear to pause funding for Cape bridge replacements, blaming government shutdown

"More than $11 billion in funding for "lower-priority" projects will be paused by the US Army Corps of Engineers, White House officials announced late last week. White House budget director Russell Vought said in a social media post that the funding disruption was the result of the government shutdown, which he blamed on Democrats. The Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to manage billions of dollars in projects."

"While Vought did not mention the Cape Cod bridges by name, Massachusetts leaders immediately began to raise the alarm over the future of the critical infrastructure project. The Sagamore and Bourne bridges are currently owned by the federal government and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is leading the replacement project, and the state will take over operations after the new bridges are built."

Massachusetts secured $1.72 billion in federal funding to replace the 90-year-old, functionally obsolete Sagamore and Bourne bridges. More than $11 billion in lower-priority U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects will be paused, White House budget director Russell Vought announced, blaming the government shutdown on Democrats. Massachusetts leaders raised alarms about the future of the bridge project. The Sagamore and Bourne bridges are owned by the federal government and operated by the Army Corps; the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is leading the replacement and the state will assume operations after construction. Gov. Maura Healey and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation said they have not received information and stressed the funding was lawfully appropriated.

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