CONCORD, Mass. – All four traffic lanes on the Bourne Bridge, spanning the Cape Cod Canal in Bourne, Mass., will be open later today, according to officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District.

The lane restrictions put in place while steel repair work was performed above the road deck on the Bourne Bridge will end later today, Dec. 16, 2011.  Steel repair work will continue below the road deck on the Bourne Bridge until the fall of 2012. There will be occasional times in the next couple weeks and through the fall of 2012 that a one-day lane restriction will be required and put into place to complete the Bourne Bridge steel repair work.

The $8.5 million Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge repair project involves the removal and replacement of structural steel secondary members, the strengthening of existing structural steel members, the replacement of structural fasteners, the removal of selected existing welds, and the strengthening of selected gusset plates. Completion of the steel repairs is critical to maintaining the integrity of the bridges, which are vital components of the transportation system for the Cape, the Islands and southeastern Massachusetts.

Work on the Sagamore Bridge will begin after winter and continue through the fall of 2012. Temporary lane restrictions, reduced to one lane in each direction, will be put into place in the spring of 2012 for about 4-6 weeks to perform the above deck work on the Sagamore Bridge. Also, there will be occasional times throughout this work schedule that a one-day lane restriction will be required and put into place to complete the Sagamore Bridge steel repair work.

Message boards and fixed signage will keep motorists advised of work efforts and travel restrictions. Accessing the Cape Cod Canal website (use the link: CapeCodCanal.US, then Bridge Alerts) will inform motorists of work status and other adjustments to the schedule.

Those who want to be notified of changes to the bridge work schedule can sign up for the Bridge Alerts email notifications. To sign up for the Bridge Alerts send an email to: CapeCodCanalBridges@usace.army.mil  with the subject title “Bridge Alerts.” An email alert is sent when there are major changes to the bridge work status or schedule.