MassDOT Starts Foundation Testing for Sagamore Bridge Replacement

MassDOT has launched a foundation load-testing program for the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. The work involves deep pile driving and shaft drilling in Bourne to inform foundation design and bridge specifications. You might want to cover your ears, though, because it's going to get loud.

"The piles will be driven 75 to 90 feet deep. The shafts will be driven 100 feet deep," MassDOT Megaprojects Delivery Office Executive Director Luisa Paiewonsky said in a statement shared with CBS News Boston WBZ.

Results from the foundation load tests will guide the design and foundation work for the $2.1 billion Sagamore Bridge replacement project.

MassDOT said the loud banging associated with pile driving will occur only for a few days and only during weekday business hours. Nearby business owners who spoke with WBZ expressed concern about potential customer disruption while noting their businesses will remain open and accessible during the early phase of the work.

MassDOT anticipates the foundation load-testing program will last two to three months and will operate behind a fence to reduce traffic disruption.

The Cape Cod Times confirmed that the testing will take place at four locations near the Sagamore Bridge — two north of the Cape Cod Canal and two south of the canal. Work south of the bridge is starting first near the former Christmas Tree Shops.

According to an NBC10 Boston report, routine seasonal maintenance on the Bourne Bridge is causing traffic backups. The foundation testing work around the Sagamore Bridge, however, isn't expected to cause traffic congestion.

Construction on the new Sagamore Bridge will begin in 2027. The state anticipates awarding the contract for the work late next year. So far, approximately 100 firms have expressed an interest in bidding on the project.