11/26/2024: MaineDOT Announces Plan to Install Longer-term Temporary Bridge in Machias

News Release for November 26, 2024

For more Information:
Paul Merrill, Public Information Officer - 207-624-3355 or 207-215-9297

AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation announced today it plans to install a more durable, longer-term temporary bridge over the existing Dike Bridge on Route 1 in Machias. This new structure will ensure safe and reliable mobility while MaineDOT works with local entities to determine long-term resiliency needs and assesses options to develop a permanent replacement of the existing structure, which carries Route 1 over the Middle River. The new temporary bridge will be designed to last between 15 and 20 years.

MaineDOT decided to install a longer-term temporary bridge after the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) notified MaineDOT that, based on input FHWA received from the National Marine Fisheries Service, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be the only practical path forward for MaineDOT's preferred alternative of an in-kind replacement. Normally reserved for much larger and more complex projects, an EIS would involve several years of additional environmental consulting and analysis. Final design and construction of a replacement bridge could not begin until after that EIS is completed.

"We understand residents and Route 1 travelers in Machias and Marshfield are frustrated with how long this project is taking, and we share that frustration," said Bruce Van Note, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation. "This project has raised unanticipated regulatory issues, resulting in much more permitting process and time than expected. The temporary bridge currently in place was not intended to last for many years. MaineDOT's core mission is to ensure safe and reliable transportation. To achieve that in this case, we need to construct a more durable temporary bridge, pause the federal environmental review process, and work with the towns as developments unfold. This work includes a local effort to plan for resiliency."

The current Dike Bridge dates to the Civil War era and is deteriorating. Late last year, MaineDOT installed a temporary bridge over the existing Dike Bridge after a routine inspection showed increasing voids within the structure. That temporary bridge will be removed before the new, longer-term temporary bridge is constructed. The new structure - estimated to cost about $2 million - will be paid for exclusively with state funds and constructed in a way that will not require federal permits or review. MaineDOT expects to complete construction of this new structure in 2025.

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