SAGAMORE, Mass. — Massachusetts has begun formally seizing homes in the Round Hill neighborhood of Sagamore as part of a sweeping $4.5 billion effort to replace the aging Cape Cod bridges, a move that has left longtime residents grappling with displacement and uncertainty.
As of Friday, the state officially took ownership of most of the 14 homes in the neighborhood through eminent domain for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Sagamore Bridge replacement project. The action marks a major step forward in the long-anticipated infrastructure overhaul, but also the start of what residents describe as a deeply personal upheaval.
“Here I am at this age in my life, and I have to start all over again? How do you even do that?” asked Joyce Michaud, a resident who has lived in the Round Hill neighborhood for more than 25 years.
“I bought this house, and I planned to retire here. I planned to live the rest of my life here. I set it up so I would have a very stress-free retirement and my kids wouldn’t have to worry about me. And then along comes somebody who says, ‘Well, you worked your whole life to buy that house, missed memories with friends and family to work to pay for this house, but you have to leave,’” she said.
The property seizures are part of a broader plan to replace both the Sagamore and Bourne bridges, which serve as the primary gateways to Cape Cod. The project also includes extensive redesigns of surrounding roadways and highways. In addition to residential properties, several vacant parcels and a commercial building in the area have also been acquired.
The state has issued appraisals to homeowners and is offering fair-market value for the properties. Residents have 120 days to vacate, though MassDOT has offered an option for owners to remain temporarily by paying rent to the state if they cannot move immediately.
“There is no way I am doing that,” said Marc Hendel, who moved into the neighborhood with his wife, Joan, in October 2024, unaware of the bridge replacement plans. “I am not renting my home from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Not to mention that we can’t trust them as far as we can throw them. That is the last thing I will do.”
His wife criticized state officials and lawmakers for what she described as a lack of consideration for affected families.
“MassDOT and these politicians are disconnected from reality. All they care about is that bridge right over there. What if we don’t have a house in 120 days? We would have to rent our own home? None of us planned for that kind of expense,” said Joan Hendel. “We spent our life savings building this house. We don’t take risks and would certainly have never even considered this neighborhood if we knew what was coming.”
Homes in Sagamore have sold over the past year for prices ranging from $450,000 to nearly $2 million, raising concerns among residents that fair-market value appraisals may not be enough to secure comparable housing in Cape Cod’s tight and expensive real estate market.
“This is a family neighborhood where everybody pretty much knows each other. We all had picnics together and other things and just had a wonderful time. It’s just like losing a family member,” Michaud said. “I even had a picnic for over 300 people with food and music. My neighbors and this neighborhood have been part of my favorite memories and now we’re all going to be dispersed.”
Residents were first formally notified in March that their properties would be taken. Some homeowners, including the Hendels, say they had no knowledge of the project when purchasing their homes. MassDOT began publicly discussing the potential use of eminent domain for the bridge replacement in 2023.
“Fair market value doesn’t do it. That’s not what we need. What we need is replacement value. We gave them a list of 61 different things we needed to be comparable to what we have now,” Marc Hendel said. “But, they’re rushing us out and we won’t have the time to find something. All we want is to be treated fairly.”
State Rep. Steve Xiarhos, whose district includes the affected area, said he has been working directly with residents and MassDOT leadership as the process moves forward.
“Eminent domain is always difficult, and people are being asked to give up property for the greater good. My responsibility is to make sure they’re treated with respect, receive properly funded and fair appraisals, and are cared for not just financially, but emotionally as well,” Xiarhos said. “I’ve worked directly with the families and with MassDOT leadership on this long-awaited Sagamore Bridge and interchange replacement. Safety and mobility matter, but so do the people who live there. This will be a long process, and they know I have their back.”
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges, both nearly 90 years old, have long been criticized for their deteriorating condition and traffic bottlenecks caused by frequent maintenance closures. The full replacement of both spans is expected to cost $4.5 billion, with $1.09 billion allocated over the next five years under MassDOT’s approved capital investment plan.
Homeowners will have up to three years to appeal the state’s property valuations as the massive infrastructure project moves forward.
Originally reported by Tim Dunn in Boston Herald.
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