The nightmare in the Round Hill neighborhood of Sagamore has begun.

As of Friday, the state officially seized ownership of most of the 14 homes there by eminent domain for the $4.5 billion MassDOT project to replace the Cape Cod bridges.

“Here I am at this age in my life, and I have to start all over again? How do you even do that?” asked longtime Round Hill resident Joyce Michaud, who has lived in the neighborhood for over 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.

It’s all part of the state’s plan to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, something that will also involve the redesign of the local roadways and highways surrounding them. Several vacant lots and a commercial building in the neighborhood have also been acquired for the Sagamore bridge replacement.

The state has already given appraisals for the homes to each owner, offering fair-market value. Officially taking ownership Friday, the state is giving residents 120 days to vacate their properties. If they are unable to do so, MassDOT is offering property owners the opportunity to pay rent to temporarily remain in their homes.

Homes in Sagamore sold over the past year for prices ranging from $450,000 to nearly $2 million.

“There is no way I am doing that,” said Marc Hendel, who moved back to Massachusetts from Iowa with his wife, Joan, settling in their current home in October 2024 without any knowledge of the bridge replacement project. “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.”

He wife accused politicians of being out of touch.

“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.”

The neighborhood, which borders the Cape Cod Canal with breathtaking views of the Sagamore Bridge and canalway, is home to longtime residents, some of whom have lived there for over 60 years. One resident, who did not want to be named, said in a sad twist of irony that her late husband’s family helped build the current bridges.

“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 remembered as her eyes swelled up. “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.”

Michaud told the Herald she doesn’t know where she is going to go next or what to do, afraid she won’t be able to find a new home in an expensive Cape Cod housing market.

Round Hill property owners were formally notified by the state in March their properties would be taken. They say when they moved to the neighborhood just four months earlier, they had no knowledge of state plans to replace the bridges and that their attorney never informed them of the project or the potential of their property being taken in eminent domain. MassDOT began discussing the use of eminent domain for the project in 2023.

The Hendels have yet to receive their appraisal from the state, but say they expect to get it by next month. Owners will have three years to appeal the prices offered for their properties by the state.

“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,” said Marc. “But, they’re rushing us out and we won’t have the time to find something. All we want is to be treated fairly.”

As the Hendels and their neighbors prepare to eventually move out of their homes, state Rep. Steve Xiarhos (R-Third Barnstable) has taken the lead in assisting them. He says his job is to not only help residents navigate the challenging process, but to also support them through a life-changing process they have no control over.

“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 told the Herald. “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.”

There have been talks of replacing the 90-year-old dilapidated bridges for years now, with required maintenance twice a year snarling traffic for locals and tourists alike. The two bridges have been the main arteries to and from Cape Cod since their construction.

The project has drawn an estimated price tag of $4.5 billion to completely replace both bridges. As part of MassDOT’s five-year capital investment plan, approved by the Board of Directors in June, the agency will send $1.09 billion to the replacement project over the next five years.

Joyce Michaud stands on her back deck in the home she has lived for 25 years, now the state is taking it away due to eminent domain for construction of the new Sagamore Bridge. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald).
The Cape bridge project keeps moving as the federal funds remain stalled. (Herald file photo)
Joyce Michaud sits with her chickens at her home she has lived for 25 years, now the state is taking it away due to eminent domain for construction of the new Sagamore Bridge. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Joyce Michaud’s home that she has lived for 25 years. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)