Massachusetts leaders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the news that, with a new round of nearly $1 billion in federal funding, the state is well on its way to replacing some of the most elderly and ailing bridges on Cape Cod.

“We can say with certainty now that we have the funding that we need to move forward,” Gov. Maura Healey announced Tuesday morning on a Cape beach, framed by the arch of the distant Sagamore Bridge. “We’re going to rebuild the Sagamore Bridge, and we’re going to continue to work for every dollar available to rebuild the Bourne bridge.”

Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Rep. Bill Keating joined Healey and local and state officials to celebrate the win they say will officially launch the rebuild of the Sagamore Bridge.

Announced over the weekend, the federal grant through the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide $993 million to the state’s Cape Cod Bridges Replacement Program. This brings the total funding for the program up to $1.72 billion federal dollars and $700 million in state funding.

Both bridges are around 90-years-old, require frequent maintenance and lag far behind the current transit needs of the area, leading to major traffic and travel barriers in the area. A 2020 Army Corps report concluded entirely new structures up to modern day standards were the best long-term investment for continual safe access to Cape Cod.

The state intends to start construction on the Sagamore by 2027 “if not sooner,” Healey said.

During the funding process, teams have started on design, permitting and other work, she added, and will now head into the “design build phase” of the project. Design and permitting work is also being done on the Bourne Bridge project, state officials said.

“We know that the bridges that rise here over Cape Cod will be safe, they will be modern, they’ll be attractive and environmentally friendly,” said Healey. “They’re going to improve traffic flow, and we’re going to make sure that the traffic keeps moving throughout this entire construction by keeping the current Sagamore Bridge open.”

The bridges will also be designed with electric vehicle charging, public transit and multimodal accessibility in mind, the governor stated. The process will include 9,000 jobs, speakers said, which will go to labor unions.

Markey called the nearly $1 billion federal grant an “incredible victory” for the state, noting it is the single largest bridge grant to a single state in U.S. history and the largest competitive federal grant Massachusetts has ever received.

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Speakers also emphasized the importance of the bridges to the state. Among the vital benefits, Keating stated, over 50% of the Cape workforce commutes over the bridges, and 5.5 million tourists travel across to bring revenue to the state and appreciate the seashore.

“The Bourne and the Sagamore are the gateway to the region for millions of visitors, and the only major escape route in case of disaster,” said Sen. Markey. “These bridges carry the Commonwealth, and we need to make sure that they’re strong and resilient, just like Massachusetts families they support every single day.”