Motorists who were looking forward to the opening of the new international bridge between Edmundston and Madawaska, Maine, will have to wait a few more months, and it’s going to cost more than expected.
The bridge, which is being built to replace the current century-old structure, was scheduled to open before the end of the year, but that has been bumped back until the spring because construction of the building to house the U.S. customs offices is running behind schedule.
“Opening of the new bridge needs to be co-ordinated with the opening of the new U.S. land port of entry,” said Paul Merrill, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Transportation. “The two elements function as parts of a broader transportation system,” he said in an emailed statement.
“When the port is ready to open, the bridge will be ready.”
The port of entry is a separate project being administered by the U.S. General Services Administration. Spokesperson Paul Hughes said it’s ‘complex’ and the delay is “consistent with the general construction industry.”
Featured VideoThe bridge between the city of Edmundston, N.B., and the town of Madawaska, Maine, was expected to be completed before the end of the year but has been delayed until spring.
The port of entry should be open to traffic in mid-March, he said, and the new bridge will initially open with lane restrictions and the same 4.5-tonne weight restriction that’s in place now, but these should be removed in early May.
The entire bridge project — including demolition of the old bridge —