The federal government has awarded $36 million to the state of Maine for the replacement of the bridge that connects Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick.
“The Madawaska International Bridge is a crucial link between Madawaska and Edmundston,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, in a press statement. “When I was in The County this past weekend, I saw many signs warning people of the bridge’s temporary closures and the posted weight limit, underscoring the seriousness of this situation.”
The funding was awarded through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program, which uses federal grants to help communities invest in high-priority projects to fix crumbling infrastructure. Last year, only 26 projects across the country were chosen.
“Madawaska residents and businesses are already contending with the severe consequences of this deteriorating structure,” Collins said. “Twin Rivers Paper Company, the largest employer in Northern Maine, relies on this bridge to transport raw materials and finished goods between its facilities on both sides of the river. Since 2017, however, it has had to reroute large trucks through Van Buren, adding up to 75 miles and nearly two hours of travel time roundtrip as well as incurring millions of dollars in increased transportation costs.”
The Madawaska International Bridge was deemed to be in poor condition in October 2017 and has been posted with a five ton weight limit ever since. The Maine Department of Transportation announced that all lanes of the bridge will be closed from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. July 22-27 and July 29-30 to allow an engineering firm to conduct a thorough safety inspection of the structure.
“We are very grateful to Sen. Collins for helping to secure funding to replace this critical piece of infrastructure,” Maine’s transportation commissioner, Bruce Van Note, said Monday. “This award represents a significant leap forward in our work to build a new, more-modern link between Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick. We look forward to continuing to partner with federal officials from both the U.S. and Canada as we work to make sure people and goods can move quickly and safely between these two border communities.”
The total cost of the replacement of the Madawaska International Bridge is estimated at $73.5 million with the remaining funding coming from the Maine Department of Transportation and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
This story was originally published in the Fiddlehead Focus.