Final Environmental Impact Report - Whittier Bridge/I-95 ...

Sagamore Bridge (US 6)
12/15/11 8:21 PM
Beach, Cape Cod.
A NEW SAGAMORE BRIDGE FOR A WIDER CANAL: In 1928, Congress directed the Army
Corps of Engineers to widen and deepen the Cape Cod Canal. The Corps also was charged
with rebuilding the two highway bridges and one railroad bridge connecting Cape Cod with the
U.S. mainland. On September 6, 1933, the Public Works Administration (PWA) authorized the
financing and construction of the three bridges under emergency legislation signed by
President Franklin Roosevelt Work on the bridges began three months later.
Like the Bourne Bridge, its twin two and one-half miles to the west, the Sagamore Bridge was
built as a steel-arch span providing 616 feet of clearance between piers and a 135-foot vertical
clearance. This accommodation for larger ships - and particularly Naval vessels - was critical.
The Corps also accommodated the growing vehicular traffic of the 1930's by providing four
lanes, double the vehicular capacity of the original Sagamore Bridge. Along with the elimination
of the need for bridge openings, the new four-lane fixed span reduced travel times drastically
over the old two-lane bascule span. The main difference between the Sagamore and Bourne
bridges is that the Sagamore Bridge had a shorter approach. It measures 1,408 feet from end
to end, 976 feet shorter than the Bourne Bridge.
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges were dedicated and opened to traffic on June 22, 1935. Its
companion, the B " S awar e as e " ilt during 1934"
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rding to the Massachusetts Department ofTransportation , agamore
Bridge' . , per ay DT}, a volume that often doubles on
summer weekends. The bridge remains under the maintenance jurisdiction of the Corps.
Missing Plug-in
This 2006 photo shows the northbound lanes of the Sagamore Bridge (US 6) approaching the
main steel-arch span. Note the lack of a pedestrian walkway on the bridge. (Photo by Steve
Anderson.)
http://www.bostonroads.com/crossings1sagamorel
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