The U.S. Department of Transportation last week granted nearly $1 billion toward the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges, the single largest investment in the long-awaited project. 

The Biden Administration Friday announced the $933 million award, about half of what it would take to build a new Sagamore Bridge. In total, the project has now secured about $1.7 billion, giving officials hope that new bridges have shifted from a question of if, to a matter of when. 

“The question is no longer about how to fund the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge but when shovels will go in the ground to build it,” said U.S. Rep. William Keating.

While the Steamship Authority is the lifeline to the Islands, the Bourne and Sagamore bridges also play a critical role in the Vineyard’s economy. Anyone bringing a vehicle to the Vineyard has to cross on the bridges, which are now nearly 90 years old. A majority of the Island’s goods also have to travel along the spans. 

The state has said that it will initially focus on building a new Sagamore Bridge before turning to the Bourne. 

“Today is a momentous day for the Cape, the Islands, and all of Massachusetts,” said U.S. Sen. Edward Markey. “The Sagamore and Bourne Bridges are the gateway to the Cape, and this federal funding is the missing piece to replace the Sagamore Bridge and launch Phase One of the project to replace both bridges.”

The $933 million is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s bridge investment program and it will go to the state Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The corps owns the bridges but has been working with Massachusetts to replace them. The two have agreed that after construction the new bridges would be turned over to the state.

The last estimate for both bridges was more than $4 billion.

The bridges have both outlived their intended lifespan and in 2019 the Army corps concluded that they should be replaced. Despite being considered functionally obsolete, the bridges have struggled to secure funding until recently.

“Massachusetts just hit a billion dollar home run to start replacing the Cape Cod Bridges,” said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “Two years ago, we had zero dollars in funding for these bridges.”

If new bridges aren’t built, officials have estimated that the current bridges may need permanent lane closures in the 2030s, potentially leading to long traffic jams that could affect Island life. 

In a letter to Senator Warren last year, the Oak Bluffs select board urged the government to replace the bridges and stressed how reliant the Vineyard is on the struggling infrastructure. 

“[O]ur dependency on the Cape Cod bridges for the movement of people, goods, services and supplies cannot be overstated,” Oak Bluffs town administrator Deborah Potter wrote. “These two access points are the lifelines of our town, connecting us to the essential resources and opportunities we require for sustenance and prosperity.”