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The new bridge and land entry port between Maine and Canada opened on Monday, the culmination a $97.5-million project to build a bigger structure to replace an 104-year old span.
The Madawaska Bridge, which connects Edmundston in Canada with the U.S., was built on a new alignment across the St. John River. This is about 1,400 feet higher than the old location from the U.S. The structure is almost twice the length of the old one because of the new alignment.
The complex project was a collaboration between the U.S. and Canada. It involved the U.S. General Services Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as Maine Department of Transportation.
The bridge’s opening marks the end of major construction for the three-year project, but some finishing work will continue into next year. The project was supported by a grant of $36 million from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, awarded in 2019. The remaining costs of the project were shared between MaineDOT and New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The new international bridge between Madawaska and Edmundston in New Brunswick was officially opened this morning. pic.twitter.com/dqId6nhfXG — MaineDOT (@MaineDOT1) June 6, 2024
The Madawaska Bridge on the U.S. Side is connected to the New Brunswick port facility located on the Canadian Side. The new bridge is made of steel girders, designed to last for a century. It has wider travel lanes on both sides and shoulders. The old bridge, built in 1920, is in poor condition due to deterioration.
GSA has built a new land entry port on the U.S.-side of the new bridge. MaineDOT manages that project, with support from New Brunswick DTI and in coordination with federal agencies both from the U.S.A. and Canada. DTI is upgrading the Canada Border Service Agency’s facilities at the land entry port of entry in parallel with the bridge construction project.
(Maine Department of Transportation).
Transport Topics was told by a Customs and Border Protection representative that the new land entry port has been equipped with an oversized lane for trucks. GSA reports that the port processes 16,260 trucks a year traveling southbound to the U.S.
“Madawaska has a permit port.” There are no plans to designate it as a commercial harbor at this time. Most of the trucks that are seen at Madawaska come from local areas. It is less efficient, when considering the highway infrastructure to travel through Madawaska in order to reach other locations. Van Buren and Houlton, commercial [Maine] port cities, provide better logistical access to the existing highways system,” said the spokesperson.
According to the GSA website, which contains project information about the Madawaska Bridge, the land port entry has been designed for non-intrusive equipment inspection and “will remain as a permit port while having sufficient space to accommodate a possible change in designation to become commercial port.”
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