Cape Cod Bridges Program

HNTB is providing program management services for the Cape Cod Bridges Program. This regional program includes the replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, as well as improvements to the approach roadway networks to address the multimodal deficiencies within the Cape Cod Canal area that were identified as part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Cape Cod Canal Transportation Study and United States Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Cape Cod Canal Bridges Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Study.

At this stage of the program, HNTB is focused on implementing effective strategies to engage with stakeholders and the public that are meaningful, transparent and allow for substantive feedback. HNTB’s work has centered on developing an equitable outreach process to support the distribution of information to a broad base of geographically and demographically diverse stakeholders across Cape Cod and the region. The team developed a focused Environmental Justice (EJ) report at the beginning of the outreach process to detail specific strategies, challenges and opportunities, to reach impacted communities. Since that time, the team has conducted detailed analyses using stakeholder data from the Public Involvement Management Application (PIMA) to identify gaps in outreach to EJ communities and adapt outreach strategies accordingly. To this end, the team developed and executed a model for an open house with different stations for stakeholders to learn about the program, including one focused on youth engagement.

Outreach strategies include a series of legislative, stakeholder, advisory group and public meetings; a fully accessible program website and virtual comment form; as well as social media, email blasts, phone calls, letters, flyers and press releases. All outreach communications and information are being managed through PIMA, which allows the program team to effectively streamline stakeholder communications, collect and respond to public comments, measure public sentiment, and easily export comment and stakeholder information for environmental documentation purposes.