BOURNE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts commission is considering whether a new toll bridge over the Cape Cod Canal is needed to help reduce traffic backups in the area.
The Cape Cod Times reports that the estimated $320 million project calls for building a bridge adjacent to the Sagamore Bridge that carries Route 6 over the canal. Each bridge would carry one direction of travel. Tolls on the new bridge would pay for construction and maintenance.
The canal now has two bridges for vehicle traffic and a railroad bridge.
The bridge project is being considered by a state commission created in 2009 to consider public-private partnership opportunities in transportation infrastructure.
The Sagamore Bridge is used by 22,100 vehicles a day in both directions, and 40,000 vehicles a day during summer vacation months.