Rescue the Cape by rail

The Bourne Bridge, over the Cape Cod Canal, with the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge in the distance. The Bourne Bridge mostly serves drivers coming from the west.

The Sagamore Bridge, which mostly serves drivers coming from the north, especially from Greater Boston

— Photo by Matt H. Wade.

Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

The narrow Bourne and Sagamore bridges, the only ways to drive to and from Cape Cod, were built back in the ‘30s and need to be replaced; they’re approaching being dangerous to drive on. Massachusetts Department of Transportation experts like the idea of replacing them with two sets of twin bridges. From an engineering standpoint, that sounds like a good idea. Let’s hope that adequate federal funds will be made available to do this.

But it’s unlikely that the new bridges would reduce traffic congestion on the Cape itself. Indeed, they could increase it by “smoothing” traffic over the canal, thus sending more drivers onto the skinny peninsula’s Route 6 (one long parking lot on summer weekends) and Route 28, some of whose traffic goes to ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. (We generally stay away from the Cape from Memorial Day to after Labor Day, though we have a few relatives there.)

What would help save what’s left of the fragile, overbuilt, now mostly suburban Cape  Cod is much more passenger rail service as an alternative to driving, including train stations close to the most popular summer places.

Let’s hope  that whatever replacement spans go up are beautiful, befitting the spectacular setting of the world’s widest  sea-level  canal, with  its dramatic bluffs.