The federal government has awarded the Maine Department of Transportation $36 million toward replacement of the aging bridge connecting Madawaska, Maine, and Edmundston, New Brunswick, on the St. John River. The money is expected to cover almost half the cost of a new Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge, which will sit about 1,300 feet upriver from the existing structure.
Maine DOT spokesman Paul Merrill says, after nearly a century of service, the bridge is in poor condition.
“It’s been a long time coming. It’s far outlived its useful life,” he says.
In Oct. 2017 the maximum weight allowed on the bridge was reduced to 5 tons, the equivalent of a single passenger vehicle.
Merrill says plans are to begin construction of the new bridge in late 2020.
“It’ll be about a two-year job, so 2022 everything should be done if things go as planned and we move forward with funding,” he says.
Merrill says Maine transportation officials are working with their Canadian counterparts to figure out how best to fund the remaining $38 million needed for the new bridge. He says some will be coming from Maine and some from New Brunswick.
A series of daytime closures are planned for Monday-Saturday, July 22-27, and Monday-Tuesday, July 29-30, to allow an engineering firm to conduct a thorough safety inspection of the structure. Maine DOT says the bridge will be fully closed during those hours, which could be extended if necessary. The bridge will be open to traffic in alternating directions outside of those hours.
