Warren points to elections when asked about funding gap for Cape Cod bridges

With the cost of replacing both bridges connecting Cape Cod to the rest of Massachusetts estimated at $4.5 billion, Sen. Elizabeth Warren — as she's running for reelection this November — pivoted to the upcoming elections when asked how to secure still-needed funding.

The state is planning to begin work on a Sagamore Bridge replacement in 2027, after the state Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers won a $994 million federal grant for the effort this summer.

That amount is on top of a $372 million grant from the Biden administration last December and a $350 million appropriation from a federal infrastructure bill. In total, the state has brought in $2.415 billion to repair the almost 90-year-old bridges, according to Gov. Maura Healey's office. Of that, $1.7 billion is federal funding, and state officials have committed $700 million.

Officials decided to start with the Sagamore and replace the Bourne Bridge later.

"We have enough money now, completely allocated for the first bridge, and we've started the money on the second bridge. We've always known that we would have to fund these as we go along, but — I'll just be blunt. We need Democrats to get reelected to the House, Senate and White House, because that is the only time that we have had big enough infrastructure bills in order to be able to fund huge projects like the Cape Cod bridges," Warren told reporters on Monday following an unrelated event.

She added, "That's kind of blunt, but it's true."

While Republicans would likely differ with the senator's assessment, the costs of the two mega-projects have only risen over the years and through election cycles and and partisan power shifts.

Warren is seeking a third term in the Senate, competing against Republican John Deaton of Bolton.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Sen. Elizabeth Warren says Cape Cod bridge funding needs Democrats