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Boston's Morning Newsletter
With funding secured, here's the timeline for the first new Cape Cod bridge
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Jarren Duran’s big All-Star Game performance last night has me wondering if I should take up coloring books, too. The Red Sox are off until Friday, but (for better or worse) there’s no break from the news:
Your new arrival time: Massachusetts officials are a few years away from starting work on the first new Cape Cod bridge. Gov. Maura Healey told reporters yesterday the state is aiming to break ground on the new Sagamore Bridge “by 2027, if not sooner.” Her comments came during a press conference celebrating the $1 billion federal grant the project won last week. Previously, the state had eyed 2028 to start construction on the new Sagamore Bridge. But with the new grant, Healey’s office feels “confident” about a 2027 groundbreaking.
- By the numbers: Officials say they now have more than enough money for the first bridge. In total, the federal government has now committed $1.7 billion to the project and the state is pitching in another $700 million. The milestone comes after the Healey administration changed its strategy last year and began applying only for funding to replace the Sagamore (rather than packaging the Sagamore and Bourne replacement projects together.) The cost of replacing both bridges is estimated to be $4.5 billion.
- How long will it take? Construction will likely last eight to 10 years, according to state Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. That puts the completion date in the mid-to-late 2030s.
- What about the Bourne Bridge? Don’t worry, they still plan to replace that one, too. Having secured funding for the Sagamore, Healey says the focus shifts to getting grants to the aging span to the west: “Tomorrow we get after the Bourne Bridge.”
- Go deeper: Sen. Ed Markey says the new grant is the “largest single bridge grant to a single state” in the history of the U.S.
On Beacon Hill: The Massachusetts House is planning to vote today on its answer to the renewable energy bill the Senate passed last month. As State House News Service reports, the bill is similarly focused on streamlining how Massachusetts decides where to build clean energy infrastructure. Still, there are some crucial differences:
- What the House added: In addition to siting reforms, the bill calls for another big round of clean energy procurement — to the tune of nearly 9.5 million megawatt-hours of energy.
- What they left out: The House bill doesn’t include the Senate’s proposal to ban competitive electric suppliers from enrolling new residential customers. It also does not include several electric vehicle-related programs proposed by the Senate, like extending funding for the state’s EV rebates through 2027 and making it easier for condo owners to install at-home chargers.
- Now what? If the House bill passes (as expected), the two chambers will have exactly two weeks to iron out their differences before the formal legislative session ends on July 31.
Tonight’s agenda: A recent Harvard graduate who sued the university over its handling of antisemitism on campus will speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee tonight. Shabbos Kestenbaum tells The Boston Globe that his speech will focus on what he calls “the plight of Jewish students on college campuses.” While he didn’t say if he supports Donald Trump’s candidacy, Kestenbaum said he does support some of Trump’s policies, like taxing university endowments and expelling foreign students who violate laws.
- Catch up: Women took centerstage at the RNC last night, describing Trump as a family man and a unifier — despite his divisive persona. NPR has the latest updates here.
Wind turbulence: Vineyard Wind has temporarily shut down all operations until further notice after one of the offshore wind farm’s turbine blades broke. The incident led to debris washing up on Nantucket and the closure of the island’s south-facing beaches for swimming. The fed-ordered shutdown includes all 10 of Vineyard Wind’s operating turbines as well as construction on new ones.
- It’s still unclear what exactly happened. Vineyard Wind said only that a turbine blade experienced some damage Saturday night. A photo taken by the Nantucket Current shows the blade seemingly snapped near the base but is still hanging on, dangling high above the water. (Each blade is about the length of a football field.)
P.S.— It’s National Hot Dog Day, which is a good excuse to plug two of WBUR’s recent ‘dog-related stories. First, read this investigation into why split-top buns reign supreme only in New England. Second, cool down with this retrospective on the rise and fall of the local hot dog-shaped dessert known as the Cool Dog. And follow WBUR on TikTok to see us taste-test a decade-old Cool Dog coming soon.
