Massachusetts Seizing Homes to Build New Sagamore Bridge

Imagine receiving a notice saying the Commonwealth of Massachusetts plans to seize your home and destroy it to make room for a new bridge. That's exactly what happened to folks who find themselves in the way of the new Sagamore Bridge.

Granted, the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges are old, outdated and in disrepair and need to be replaced – but still.

Both bridges are 85 years old.

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The Bourne and the Sagamore Bridges carry millions of Massachusetts residents and visitors off and on Cape Cod over the canal annually.

Last year, the federal government announced the awarding of one billion dollars to replace the Sagamore Bridge. Funding has yet to be secured to replace the Bourne Bridge.

The Army Corps of Engineers determined that it would cost less money to replace the aging bridges than to repair them.

Boston's WBZ-TV Channel 4 reported, "The state is going to seize several homes by eminent domain." The station said eminent domain allows the state to "take private property, paying a fair market price, and convert it for public use."

READ MORE: Cape Cod Bridges Were Originally Tight-Squeeze Drawbridges

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation notified several residents of the Round Hill neighborhood, some of whom have lived there for many years, while others for only months, that their properties are to be seized to make way for the new bridge.

The Cape Cod Times reported, "The state expects to complete permitting for Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and National Environmental Policy Act requirements by the spring of 2026."

The paper reported construction of the new Sagamore Bridge could begin sometime in 2028, with completion anticipated sometime in 2034.