Massachusetts department of transportation (MassDOT) is considering a public-private partnership to build an additional bridge across the Cape Cod Canal, an effort to ease traffic crossing between Cape Cod and mainland Massachusetts.

In a December 2013 proposal, the project cost was estimated at US$320 million. Banking and legal advisors are expected to be selected in April and bids for the project are expected to take place in fall 2014.

This would be the third bridge across the Cape Cod Canal, parallel to the existing Sagamore Bridge. The new span, which is only in an exploratory stage, would be built and operated privately, with the funds recovered through a standard toll.

An average 22,100 vehicles travel per day to and from the Cape, sometimes causing backups for hours during peak season. The extra bridge would provide an alternative when traffic is restricted on the other bridges.

The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in the state of Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south. Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the approximately 11.3km canal traverses the narrow neck of land joining Cape Cod to the state's mainland. Most of its length follows tidal rivers widened to 150 m and deepened to 9.8 m at mean low water, shaving  217 kms off the journey around the Cape.