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Complete Regional Transportation Plan 2012 - Cape Cod ...

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2.2.11 BRIDGES<strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>’s bridges serve many important functions, one of which is to permit travel overwaterways. The Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge permit vehicular travel over the<strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong> Canal. If not for the canal bridges, a motorist would have to use a ferry toreach <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>. Due to their significance, the canal bridges are discussed at length inanother section of the RTP. Several other bridges connect motorists to places that theywould not be able to reach normally by car. The bridges to Osterville Grand Island inBarnstable and to Lieutenant Island in Wellfleet are perfect examples. Other bridgesmake travel more convenient by connecting two sides of a waterway. The Bass River,Swan Pond River, and Centerville River crossings allow vehicles to travel more directly totheir destinations, without having to drive out of their way in order to avoid waterways.Another function of <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>’s bridges is to provide grade separation. At-gradeintersections would not work on many roadways, such as Route 6, due to high trafficvolumes or safety concerns. Interchanges and overpasses along Route 6 and the accesscontrolled portion of Route 28 help to separate roadway traffic and permit safe travel.Railroad crossings may also present safety concerns. Several bridges on <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>separate roadways from railroad tracks. For all these reasons, bridges play an importantrole in the <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong> transportation system.<strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong> has over one hundred bridges, primarily located along coastlines and Route 6(see following figure). Forty-two bridges are over waterways, including the <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>Canal, Bass River, and other small creeks and inlets. Forty–three of <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>’s bridgesare overpasses, underpasses, or waterway crossings for Route 6. Sixteen of <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>’sbridges are overpasses or waterway crossings for Route 28. Falmouth has the mostbridges of any <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong> town, given its many bays and inlets and the access-controlledportion of Route 28 (see following table). The oldest bridge on <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong> is the northerncrossing of Palmer Avenue over the Bay Colony Railroad tracks, which was constructedin 1896 (see following figure). The newest bridges in Barnstable County are the newRoute 3 overpasses, built in 2006 as part of the Sagamore Flyover.Chapter 2.2: Roadways <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong> <strong>Regional</strong> <strong>Transportation</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> | August 2011Page 96

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