New U.S.-Canada Bridge Opens to Traffic in Maine

A new bridge connecting Maine to Canada is now open to traffic.

The Madawaska-Edmonton bridge is still being constructed, but traffic is now able to cross, with a restriction to vehicles weighing no more than 5 tons.

Upgrades to the new bridge — designed to last 100 years — include wider travel lanes, added shoulders on both sides and a raised sidewalk on the downstream side. Construction began in 2021 and is slated to finish in 2025.

The old two-lane Madawaska-Edmonton bridge officially closed to traffic on June 3. Constructed in 1920, it is about 940 feet long.

The $86.5 million contract for the new bridge, which officially opened June 6, was awarded in April 2021 to general contractor Reed & Reed Inc. of Woolwich, Maine. Total project cost is $97.5 million. The collaborative project involves the Maine Department of Transportation, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, the U.S. General Services Administration and the Canadian Border Services Agency. Construction will continue on the bridge and the Canadian Port of Entry.

The project received a $36 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding American grant from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration in 2019, with remaining costs to be paid by the Maine DOT and the New Brunswick transportation department.

The GSA is also nearly finished constructing a new land port of entry on the U.S. side of the bridge. This new port features one oversized lane for trucks.         

The new bridge across the St. John River will replace the former bridge built over 100 years ago.Maine DOT