Traffic Alert - One Day Closure - 7/28/25
The Maine Department of Transportation will be temporarily closing the Machias Dike Bridge on Monday, July 28. The project work on Monday will involve repairs to the tide gates on the existing dike structure.
There will be marked detour routes on Route 1 southbound and northbound. Route 1 northbound will divert between Court Road and Hadley Lake Road. Route 1 southbound will divert between Dublin Street and Main Street on Route 1. The detour will begin early Monday morning and end Monday evening.
This page provides up-to-date information about MaineDOT’s efforts to develop a safe and reliable solution for the Dike Bridge (#2246), which carries U.S. Route 1 over the Middle River in Machias and forms an essential part of Maine’s regional highway network. The culverts are constructed of timber and stone masonry and are approximately 130 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet high. Each culvert has top‐hinged flap gate installed on its seaward side. The causeway is constructed of timber cribbing with rubble and earthen fill and is over 1,000 feet long.
The culverts and the flap gates are deteriorated. MaineDOT is studying options to rehabilitate or replace the bridge. Since this project is anticipated to use federal funding for implementation, MaineDOT must follow all applicable federal processes including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
An update on the current status of the Dike Bridge project is available below, including a letter from the MaineDOT Commissioner outlining the current state of MaineDOT’s efforts and the actions the Department will take to ensure safe and reliable mobility across the Dike Bridge while continuing to work towards a permanent solution. While MaineDOT is working to ensure immediate safety and mobility along Route 1, it has also partnered with the Town of Machias and the Sunrise County Economic Council (SCEC), who are undertaking a locally-led process to develop an Upper Machias Bay Master Plan. This Master Plan will include additional opportunities for public involvement, and will produce locally-developed and locally-supported recommendations for future projects, including the permanent replacement of the Machias Dike Bridge. For more information about the Upper Machias Bay Master Plan, please visit the UMBMP webpage.
MaineDOT has also assembled a Public and Agency Information Document, that includes detailed information on the project, alternatives, and MaineDOT’s work to date. The Public and Agency Information Document, as well as its appendices, are available below in the “Reference Documents” section.
- Project Status/Letter from the MaineDOT Commissioner
July 16, 2025: MaineDOT will repair the existing tidal gates. Work is currently scheduled for late July, 2025.
MaineDOT plans to install a more durable, longer-term temporary bridge over the existing Dike Bridge on Route 1 in Machias. This new structure will assure 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 long-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 with 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.
The current Dike Bridge dates to the Civil War era and is deteriorating. In 2023, 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 at 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 begin construction of this new structure in late 2025.
- Reference Documents
Below are several background documents that provide information about the work that MaineDOT has completed to date regarding this project. If you have questions regarding the documents or need support with accessibility or other accommodations, please contact Ian Gorecki, MaineDOT Bureau of Planning, via email or at 207-592-0312.
Public and Agency Information Document - Summary (PDF)
Public and Agency Information Document - Appendices, Part 1 (PDF)
Public and Agency Information Document - Appendices, Part 2 (PDF)
Public and Agency Information Document - Appendices, Part 3 (PDF)
- Recent Agency Correspondence
National Marine Fisheries Service Letter - June 14, 2024 (PDF)
- Previous Meeting Comments and Responses
MaineDOT held a public meeting on June 28th, 2022. A full list of materials from this meeting, including a full meeting transcript, is available below:
- Meeting Transcript (PDF)
- Analyzed Alternatives Matrix (PDF)
- Aerial Inundation Map (PDF)
- Aerial Inundation Map Alternate (PDF)
- Town Seawall Illustration (PDF)
- Machias Dike History (PDF)
- Project Purpose and Need (PDF)
- Potential Bridge Location (PDF)
- NEPA chart (PDF)
MaineDOT, in cooperation with the Town of Machias, hosted an open house for the study on September 14, 2021. The Town of Machias and other also used the open house for input on locally sponsored studies. The purpose of the open house was to solicit feedback on uses of the bridge and causeway and alternatives under consideration, and to educate and discuss options about recent project history and status, alternatives under consideration, and regulatory and decision-making processes. All informational materials from the meeting are available below:
- Machias Public Meeting handout (PDF)
- Alternatives Matrix (PDF)
- Alternatives supporting information (PDF)
- Machias Elevations (PDF)
- SLR Profile - Bridge (PDF)
- SLR Profile - Culvert (PDF)
MaineDOT held a virtual public meeting from March 29-April 30, 2021. Links to the compiled public comments, and MaineDOT’s responses to those comments are included below:
- Right of Way Process