Maine Department of Transportation

The state has released its latest three-year work plan, which relies much less on the gas tax and much more on federal funding.

It's the latest in a long-running legal battle over the bridge's future.

While Maine Switching Services plans to resume freight service and scenic excursions along the line, the company has not proposed operating the long-envisioned Amtrak extension between Brunswick and Rockland.

The new temporary bridge will be designed to last 15 to 20 years, Maine DOT said Tuesday. That will allow for more time to come up with a more permanent solution to replace the existing structure over the Middle River in Machias.

The money, from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will go toward bridge, road, rail and port improvements.

Federal Transit Administration Acting Director Veronica Vanterpool and other officials visited a Rhode Island shipyard building a hybrid, diesel-electric ferry for the Maine State Ferry Service

The two-year pilot project will gauge demand for transit between Maine's two largest cities.

The Maine Department of Transportation first put out contracts five years ago to replace the aging bridge, which has been labeled as "fracture critical."

Unhoused individuals have set up several dozen tents along the perimeter of the park-and-ride lot on Marginal Way in Portland. The Maine Department of Transportation said it will divide the lot and add a temporary barrier to address the site's "competing interests."

Maine hopes to submit a final plan for using electric vehicle charging funds by July 1, with the goal of getting federal approval by September.