Madawaska’s International Bridge will be closed to daytime vehicle traffic next Monday through Saturday for inspection.
The 102-year-old bridge that connects Madawaska with Edmundston, New Brunswick, is deteriorating and about 20 years past its useful life. Due to safety concerns, a weight limit for trucks was imposed in 2017, and vehicles carrying more than 5 tons have had to seek alternate border crossings.
The bridge is part of a major route into Canada.
Work on a new $97 million international bridge started in September 2021 and is expected to finish later this year. The 1,800-foot structure is twice the size of the existing 950-foot bridge.
The new bridge will make it easier for goods to pass between the United States and Canada, Gov. Janet Mills said when she toured the construction site last summer.
Construction crews finished steel work in January, connecting the frame to both sides of the border.
Independent contractor Reed & Reed of Woolwich and New Brunswick-based Greenfield construction, along with the Maine and New Brunswick transportation departments, are collaborating on the project.
Traffic is expected to move to the new bridge around December, and the old bridge will be demolished in 2024. Final construction should be complete by June 2025, the end of the Reed & Reed contract.
The Maine Department of Transportation will conduct its annual bridge inspection, which entails closing the bridge to vehicles from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., although the sidewalk will remain open.
Any additional inspection work after these dates likely won’t affect traffic, transportation officials said.
