Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Monday toured the multi-million-dollar Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge Project, which is set to be completed by the end of 2023.
For the past five years, the 100-year-old International Bridge that connects Madawaska, Maine and Edmundston, New Brunswick has been posted at a five-ton weight limit, restricting travel to passenger vehicles and forcing larger truck traffic into a significant detour.
The new concrete and steel bridge is designed to last another 100 years. With state and federal funding, the Maine Department of Transportation is heading up construction of the new $97.5 million structure. It will feature wider travel lanes, shoulders on both sides and a raised sidewalk on the downstream side. The new bridge will also connect with a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection land port of entry being built on the U.S. side of the border.
“Replacing the International Bridge supports the safe travel of American and Canadian residents and visitors alike, as well as the strength of small businesses who rely on the bridge to transport their products across our borders,” said Governor Mills. “In partnership with the Legislature, my Administration has made historic investments in Maine’s transportation infrastructure to support projects like this one which will benefit people on both sides of our border.”
In 2019, this project received a $36-million Infrastructure for Rebuilding American grant from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. The remaining costs are being shared by the Maine Department of Transportation and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“State funding coupled with continued support from our federal partners helped make this project and others possible. We are also grateful for our counterparts at the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure who have been excellent partners during the planning, design, permitting, and construction phases of this project," said Maine DOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note.
In April 2021, the Maine DOT awarded the construction contract to Reed & Reed, Inc. of Woolwich. Construction began soon afterwards.
Gov. Mills also traveled to Fort Kent on Monday, where she announced two initiatives by the Maine State Library to preserve Acadian History in Maine. The Governor then met with Aroostook County municipal officials in Presque Isle to discuss the Maine DOT’s Village Partnership Initiative intended to revitalize downtown areas.