The toll of replacing the Cape bridges

Also: Why BU grad students are on strike; new Mass. shelter restrictions [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 26, 2024 🌧️ Cloudy and drizzly, with a high near 40. Good Morning Boston, I thought March was supposed to go "out like a lamb." (Maybe it's a gray, slightly damp lamb?) While we wait for blue skies to return this weekend, let's get to the news. - The toll of getting to the Cape: Massachusetts has figured out [the logistics]( of replacing the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. Paying for it? That part is still a bit TBD. Last week, the state [committed $700 million]( to replace the two aging bridges, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (which owns and operates them) has agreed to put in $600 million. The state's elected officials are also pushing for [another billion in federal grants](. But all that would add up to just about half of the total estimated cost of the project: $4.5 billion. - What about putting bridge tolls up in the future to help pay for it? Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt [said on WCVB over the weekend]( the state "is not ruling out anything, especially from a revenue standpoint." But she also said "we are not looking at that at this point." - The big picture: Tibbits-Nutt says the state is focused on making sure there's money for the project, regardless of the outcome of this fall's presidential election. "We have funding plans and we are going to continue to put in contingencies," she said. "We're not just banking on Biden being reelected for that funding strategy." - Reminder: Gov. Maura Healey is prioritizing the replacement of the Sagamore Bridge before the Bourne Bridge in the hopes of securing funding and starting the project [as soon as 2028](. - Seeking shelter: Massachusetts is [implementing new restrictions on the state's overflow shelter system](. According to the rules announced yesterday, families in those shelters — which were set up for those who couldn't get into the larger emergency shelter system that Healey [capped at 7,500 families last fall]( — will have to reapply each month, starting May 1. They'll also have to prove each month they're engaged with certain state services, like job training and English classes, in order to keep their spot. - Why? Healey says it's needed as her administration faces climbing shelter costs amid a rise in new immigrants to Massachusetts. "I think it is entirely necessary to impose requirements and to make sure that people are fulfilling those requirements if we're going to continue to allow folks to stay in these safety net sites," Healey said. However, some critics say the policy will create more work for shelter staff and new barriers for unhoused families. - The change will affect families at overflow sites in Cambridge, Roxbury and a soon-to-be-opened shelter in Chelsea. As of last week, there were 781 families on the state's shelter waitlist. - Back by popular demand: The MBTA's East Boston ferry will return to the water this coming Monday, April 1. The ferry will run [every half hour]( seven days a week, between Lewis Mall Wharf and downtown Boston's Long Wharf through the end of November. T officials [say]( it will again be free during the two-month Sumner Tunnel closure this July and August. Otherwise, it costs $2.40 each way. - That's not all: [The Lynn ferry]( is also coming back this spring, though not until April 29. It will run through Oct. 31 (with new weekend service starting May 25). The [weekday Winthrop ferry]( will also begin its loop between Winthrop Landing, Quincy and Boston's Central Wharf on April 29 and run through Nov. 30. [Click here to see the full map]( of the T's ferry routes. - Just peachy: After a spring freeze [wiped out virtually all of New England's peach crop last year]( local farmers are feeling pretty optimistic about this season, [New England Public Media reports](. - Fingers crossed: Despite the mild winter, western Massachusetts farmers say they didn't see any peach buds open early. The only remaining danger is a frost between now and mid-May. - Mark your calendars: [Peach season in Massachusetts]( starts in July. [Check out this map]( of every pick-your-own peach farm in the state. (And if you're itching to start pickin' sooner, [strawberry season]( here starts in early June.) P.S.— In case you missed it, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was on Radio Boston yesterday, during which she discussed her opposition to [banning TikTok]( and [the abortion pill case]( the Supreme Court is hearing today. [Listen to the full interview here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Boston University graduate students go on strike, citing lack of progress in negotiations]( Members of the BU Graduate Workers Union say contract negotiations have moved at a glacial pace, all while the costs of rent, food and child care near campus rise. [Read more.]( [Boston University graduate students go on strike, citing lack of progress in negotiations]( Members of the BU Graduate Workers Union say contract negotiations have moved at a glacial pace, all while the costs of rent, food and child care near campus rise. [Read more.]( [Cargo ship hits Baltimore's Key Bridge, bringing it down. Rescuers are looking for people in water]( A container ship has rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people. [Read more.]( [Cargo ship hits Baltimore's Key Bridge, bringing it down. Rescuers are looking for people in water]( A container ship has rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people. [Read more.]( [Truth Social will start trading on Tuesday. Trump stands to earn a fortune]( Trump Media and Technology Group will trade on the Nasdaq exchange under the stock symbol DJT. The listing comes as the former president is mired in a slew of legal cases. [Read more.]( [Truth Social will start trading on Tuesday. Trump stands to earn a fortune]( Trump Media and Technology Group will trade on the Nasdaq exchange under the stock symbol DJT. The listing comes as the former president is mired in a slew of legal cases. [Read more.]( [Advocates of hand-counting votes hoped for a surge of success in New Hampshire. They got barely a ripple]( The latest effort to force the hand-counting of ballots in New Hampshire has fallen flat. The push for hand-counting ballots has been gaining popularity across rural America in response to unfounded claims of widespread fraud tied to ballot-counting machines following the 2020 election. [Read more.]( [Advocates of hand-counting votes hoped for a surge of success in New Hampshire. They got barely a ripple]( The latest effort to force the hand-counting of ballots in New Hampshire has fallen flat. The push for hand-counting ballots has been gaining popularity across rural America in response to unfounded claims of widespread fraud tied to ballot-counting machines following the 2020 election. [Read more.]( [Homes linked to Sean 'Diddy' Combs raided by law enforcement]( The reason for the raids is unclear but they come on the heels of a lawsuit alleging that the 54-year-old was the leader of a criminal enterprise that could qualify as a "widespread and dangerous criminal sex trafficking organization." [Read more.]( [Homes linked to Sean 'Diddy' Combs raided by law enforcement]( The reason for the raids is unclear but they come on the heels of a lawsuit alleging that the 54-year-old was the leader of a criminal enterprise that could qualify as a "widespread and dangerous criminal sex trafficking organization." [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Venture Smith's story — first published in 1798 — is the earliest known eyewitness account of slavery in the Americas. It’s also one of the few published accounts of slavery in New England. But only today are more people learning about Venture's harrowing kidnapping and arrival in New England, thanks to [an effort by his descendants](. - Linda Bean — the granddaughter of outdoor retailer L.L. Bean who became a prominent businesswoman and conservative activist in Maine — [died Saturday at the age of 82](. - Coming this weekend to the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, the autobiographical one-man play "Come On In" follows writer-actor Daniel Callahan as he navigates mental health and religion as a Black man. Callahan told WBUR's Arielle Gray that preparing for the play pushed him to open up in new ways. [Read her full preview here.]( - Miles Howard [explains in this essay for Cognoscenti]( why he's among the young adults who might leave the region in the near future. What We're Reading 📚 - A Massachusetts man, detained by ICE for four years, says he was beaten and abused before being deported ([The Boston Globe]( - The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud ([The MIT Press Reader]( - How birdwatching’s biggest record threw its online community into chaos ([The Guardian](  PSA [Meta is limiting how much political content users see. Here's how to opt out of that]( Meta is now limiting the amount of political content it recommends to Instagram and Threads users. Here's why it made the change — and how to opt out of it. [Read more.]( [Meta is limiting how much political content users see. Here's how to opt out of that]( Meta is now limiting the amount of political content it recommends to Instagram and Threads users. Here's why it made the change — and how to opt out of it. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [interviews the Boston Public Library's first chef-in-residence](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [No one tell the Brits!]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.