The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recommended replacing the two narrow and often backed-up bridges that carry vehicular traffic across the Cape Cod Canal.
The Corps, which oversees the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, issued its draft report Thursday following a study that weighed the advantages of rehabbing the nearly 85-year-old bridges versus replacing them entirely.
The Corps determined that replacing them would be more cost-effective than paying $1.5 billion to rehabilitate them.
The report recommends replacing the four-lane bridges with new wider four-lane structures that include auxiliary acceleration-deceleration lanes, and bike and pedestrian access.
Construction of new bridges, in roughly the same location as the current bridges, could start as early as 2025.
The Corps has scheduled five public meetings later this month to discuss the proposal.
The Cape's chamber of commerce said new bridges would give the popular tourist destination a boost.
"It will allow the traffic to not stack up, things will be able to flow much more efficiently, and that will be good for our economy," CEO Wendy Northcross said.
Many residents who spoke to NBC10 Boston said it was probably time to replace the bridges.
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"As long as it doesn't make our taxes go up and can create a better atmosphere for everyone, that would be wonderful," said Sandwich resident Mona Hartley.
