Cape Cod Rail, Bridges and Highways

[Charlie_mta]

Clickbait title but good video

Just a crazy thought, which probably should be in the Crazy Highway Pitches thread: Why not one new bridge halfway between the two bridges (and of course demolishing the two existing bridges)? This would require some extensive expressway construction along both sides of the canal to connect the one new bridge with the existing Rtes. 3 and 25. New roads and bridge are shown in red:

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Just a crazy thought, which probably should be in the Crazy Highway Pitches thread: Why not one new bridge halfway between the two bridges (and of course demolishing the two existing bridges)? This would require some extensive expressway construction along both sides of the canal to connect the one new bridge with the existing Rtes. 3 and 25. New roads and bridge are shown in red:

View attachment 61640

That straight, fat power line ROW was considered in the 1970's for an extension of the MA 25 expressway to the Route 6 expressway, but that would've entailed a third interstate-spec crossing rather than a decomissioning of the existing bridges. It died when the final S-curve alignment of 25 from East Wareham to the Bourne Bridge got bogged down in community opposition. I much doubt you could swing a 1-for-2 bridge replacement. That's just way too little redundancy for a critical region.

The "Southside Connector" between MA 28 and Route 6 south of the Bourne Bridge is an on-again/off-again real proposal, though it would hook into an interchange right at the current 28 rotary and cross Camp Edwards rather than hug Sandwich Rd. like your render. Repeatedly breached environmental concerns with the aquifer underneath Camp Edwards ended up turfing that one, so it's not being seriously considered anymore.

 

[stick n move]

Just a crazy thought, which probably should be in the Crazy Highway Pitches thread: Why not one new bridge halfway between the two bridges (and of course demolishing the two existing bridges)? This would require some extensive expressway construction along both sides of the canal to connect the one new bridge with the existing Rtes. 3 and 25. New roads and bridge are shown in red:

View attachment 61640

Wow I had never realized how perfectly route 25 lines up with route 6 and how it even has a power line right of way already there.


I looked up the southside connector f-line mentioned and theres an article and drawing from 2014 at the cape cod times.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/...edale-residents-caught-off-guard/36023615007/

 

[themissinglink]

Sagamore Bridge replacement: Prep work begins. Photos of bridge, neighborhood

In the shadow of the Sagamore Bridge, drilling crews take soil samples ahead of prep work for the new bridge.

www.capecodtimes.com

 

[riptide]

Bike Pathway Committee Continues Fight For Rail-To-Trail Path

Following residents’ wishes, the Bourne Town Administrator’s Advisory Committee on Pedestrian Bike Pathway and the Friends of the Bourne Rail Trail are continuing the fight to pull up the Falmouth

www.capenews.net

Is there anything more to this insistence on an all-or-nothing, rail-to-trail conversion than NIMBYism? Is the Falmouth Secondary ROW so constrained that rail-with-trail is not an option?

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Bike Pathway Committee Continues Fight For Rail-To-Trail Path

Following residents’ wishes, the Bourne Town Administrator’s Advisory Committee on Pedestrian Bike Pathway and the Friends of the Bourne Rail Trail are continuing the fight to pull up the Falmouth

www.capenews.net

Is there anything more to this insistence on an all-or-nothing, rail-to-trail conversion than NIMBYism? Is the Falmouth Secondary ROW so constrained that rail-with-trail is not an option?

Rail-with-trail was the recommended study alternative from MassDOT, so...pure, unadulterated NIMBYism.

 

[themissinglink]

IMO, the Cape Cod Rail Trail should have a dedicated crossing (bridge or underpass) at Route 6 in Orleans (near Namskaket). The trail currently ends at a small road, requiring some on-road biking before the trail picks up again off West Road. The Rail Trail already has multiple other bridges to cross Route 6, so it's a bit confusing as to why they never built another one to fill in this trail gap.

 

[themissinglink]

CapeFLYER Reaches Record Ticket Sales for 2025 Season | News | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.

www.mbta.com

The MBTA today announced that the popular CapeFLYER train has reached a record number of tickets sold for the Summer 2025 season. Over 10,800 passengers purchased tickets between Boston and Hyannis on summer weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year, compared to about 9,700 last year.

I hope the MBTA implements a Middleborough <-> Buzzards Bay shuttle in the near term, even though the transfer at Middleborough is less than ideal.

 

[wicked]

I hope the MBTA implements a Middleborough <-> Buzzards Bay shuttle in the near term, even though the transfer at Middleborough is less than ideal.

That requires building the second platform at Middleborough, which would be a fair bit of $$$ for a handful of trains each week. And you need equipment and crew.

 

[KCasiglio]

And you need equipment and crew.

I know this has been an issue the last few years, but any chance with the deteriorating economy () we can expect a little bit more ease in staffing?

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

I know this has been an issue the last few years, but any chance with the deteriorating economy () we can expect a little bit more ease in staffing?

Keolis isn't doing too badly with staffing right now, as they feasted on Pan Am's workers when they were jumping ship in droves during and after the CSX merger. COVID hurt everybody, but Commuter Rail weathered it way better than the bus and rapid transit divisions. The RR job market is a pretty hot one in New England right now as T/Keolis, Amtrak, ConnDOT/Metro-North, CSX, Norfolk Southern, the Genessee & Wyoming lines, and a number of growing shortlines are almost always hiring.

Equipment shouldn't be a problem, as the next Rotem coach order will bring a robust-enough surplus in cab cars that some of them will have to run as regular blind coaches, and they've already got a surplus of locomotives with some of the stored GP40MC's being brought back to service (though those numbers may dip temporarily back to baseline when the HSP-46's go out for rebuild). They can simply slow the rate of single-level blind coach retirements if they need any extra bodies there. And Middleboro layover already existing makes staging a shuttle train from there very easy. The big-ticket items are going to be the new Middleboro mainline platform for the transfers, and signalizing the Cape Main if you hope to do anything more than a couple total RT's per day. Plus if it's going to be an everyday commuter shuttle they may want to think seriously about doing a Wareham Crossing infill like the previous Buzzards Bay extension study proposed, since it sits at very TOD'able surroundings right by the 495/195/25 and 195/28 interchanges. I don't think Lakeville + Wareham Village + Buzzards Bay alone is going to float much daily shuttle ridership, especially with the latter two not having enough parking.

 

[stick n move]

Road maps show how traffic will approach new Sagamore Bridge​

Link

 

[OldColony]

This past Tuesday the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Transportation held a public hearing on several pending bills this session, including House Bill 3654 and Senate Bill 2394, both titled “An Act relative to restoring commuter rail to Cape Cod” .

The Senate bill is a watered down version of the House bill. The House bill calls for a full analysis of passenger rail service potential both between Boston and Buzzards Bay, as well as onto the Cape. The Senate bill restricts analysis to Buzzards Bay. Not surprisingly, the Friends of the Bourne Rail Trail, who want the Falmouth Secondary rail line abandoned, endorse the Senate bill.

I hope the House bill passes, if for nothing else, to press the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to come to agreement to allow expanded seasonal service of the successful CapeFLYER service.

 

[stick n move]

Some new slides Ive never seen before. One shows how the piers are moved back onto land to prevent a francis scott key bridge situation from ever happening.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[wicked]

Would a hypothetical rail component be possible, or is the grade too steep?

 

[Charlie_mta]

Would a hypothetical rail component be possible, or is the grade too steep?

The new bridges are already pretty much designed, and the funding from the State and the Feds is all lined up, so it's too late to modify these bridges to carry a rail line. Also, I suspect the bridge approach grades, as designed, would be too steep for rail, as they usually are on fixed-span highway bridges over waterways. Trucks and cars can negotiate a steeper grade than a train, and the bridge engineers and owners want to minimize the length of the bridge approaches to reduce the project cost by making them steeper.

 

[millerm277]

Would a hypothetical rail component be possible, or is the grade too steep?

Agreed with Charlie, but also worth pointing out that the bridge itself arguably isn't even the biggest issue with that idea.

You'd have a very difficult time linking either bridge into the existing rail infrastructure.

There's nothing on the mainland side to link into at all. The one line through Wareham to the existing bridge at Buzzards Bay is the only one that has ever existed. There are no abandoned ROWs to reactivate. There's never been a direct line from Plymouth.

(And Cape-side would be also problematic on the Bourne alignment).

So you're quickly going to wind up in Crazy Pitch territory with the amount of money and eminent domain/environmental fights it would take to actually hook a hypothetical bridge-alignment rail into anything on the mainland.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

There's no need to crayon alternate rail alignments.

• The lift bridge is at full state of repair, getting a major top-down refurb 20 years ago and being lightly used.
• The lift bridge saw enormously more openings 70 years ago when daily twin-branch commuter rail schedules, seasonal extras, and more robust freight presence went on the Cape over a canal that saw lots more daily water freight and military traffic. There's nothing except some MassDOT slot payments to the Army Corps that would get the state all the openings they would ever need for full service.
• The rail ROW is ideally laid out to capture both the Cape Main and Falmouth Branch alignments. Doing something closer to the road bridges would miss the Falmouth Secondary entirely (and of course rail-with-trail was the recommended study alternative by MassDOT, so the NIMBY's who want to rip the rails out entirely are full of shit and out-of-step with their own state gov't).
• The rail ROW hits the most densely-developed portion of the Buzzards Bay village center. You'd be passing up a lot of walkup ridership if the station were moved, or if the area had to be passed over from on-high for a fixed bridge up in the sky.

 

[OldColony]

The federal government looked at this at the time they purchased the canal in the late 1920s. The feds knew the canal needed to be widened from its then 100-foot canal. They went high-level with the two 1930s highway bridges, but quickly realized a movable span would be required for rail. A fixed rail bridge with 135 feet over channel clearance was not practical, for the reasons cited above.

 

[wicked]

Thanks. I didn’t think it was, it was just a throwaway question.

It would be nice if the state could get more bridge lowerings for the rail lines.