Cape Cod Canal

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Bourne Bridge with the open Railroad Bridge in the background

The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in Massachusetts , United States of America . It connects Cape Cod Bay in the north with Buzzards Bay in the south.

As part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway , the approximately 11.3 km long canal traverses the natural isthmus that connects Cape Cod to the mainland. For a large part of its route, the canal follows tidal rivers up to 150 m wide and 9.8 m deep (at low tide ). It shortens the route around the cape by 217 km and is used by around 14,000 vessels every year.

Three bridges (listed from east to west) lead across the canal, all of which offer a passage height of 41 m:

  • the Sagamore Bridge with the Mid-Cape Highway ( US Highway 6 ),
  • the Bourne Bridge with General MacArthur Boulevard (Massachusetts Route 25) and
  • the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge , a lift bridge for railroad lines.

Both car bridges are steel arch bridges .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ US Army Corps of Engineers: Cape Cod Canal

Coordinates: 41 ° 45 ′ 51 ″  N , 70 ° 34 ′ 6 ″  W.