AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) has identified a bridge span as the preferred alternative to replace the existing four box culverts on the Machias Dike Bridge, which carries Route 1 over the Middle River in the Town of Machias. The current structure dates to the Civil War era and is deteriorating.
Based on information collected to date, a bridge will best meet the project's purpose and need to improve the structure's condition, maintain the Sunrise Trail, and provide for future rail use. A bridge will return tidal exchange upstream of the causeway, improving fish passage, and account for anticipated sea level rise. MaineDOT will keep working with the town and public to ensure the bridge and causeway area continue to support existing uses such as vending, parking, walking, cycling, and ATV use. The department will also evaluate ways to improve safety and enhance Machias's prominence as a destination in Downeast Maine.
For the past several years, MaineDOT has been meeting with stakeholders and studying alternatives to replace the Machias Dike Bridge. The department's selection of a preferred alternative comes after years of correspondence with federal environmental regulators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding protecting the endangered Atlantic salmon population in the Gulf of Maine.
In a September 30th, 2020 letter to MaineDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), NOAA indicated "substantial concerns" with a proposed in-kind replacement of the current structure and wrote that option "would provide even less opportunity for fish passage than exists now and will not remedy ongoing impacts." In an April 15th, 2022 letter to MaineDOT and FHWA, NOAA indicated its preference against replacing the current structure with culverts or tide gates, writing, "we anticipate that long-term monitoring to evaluate the efficiency of fish passage through the structure would be needed to document the amount or extent of take of Atlantic salmon resulting from passage delays and/or disruptions." MaineDOT is now indicating a preference for a bridge span based in part on this guidance from NOAA and the implications that a lack of federal support could have on state taxpayers and sources of funding for this project.
MaineDOT's public process will continue in the coming months. Department staff will be holding a public meeting at the Machias Memorial High School at 1 Bulldog Lane from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on June 28th to discuss the process that led to this decision and our next steps. MaineDOT will carry a bridge as the preferred alternative forward into an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA requires FHWA and MaineDOT to consider public comment and all potential environmental impacts of the preferred alternative to make an informed decision. The preferred solution must also comply with all federal regulations and policies. In addition to the meeting on June 28th, the public will have an opportunity to comment on a draft EA later this year. MaineDOT will continue working with the Town of Machias on desired causeway and bridge features during the EA process and project design.
The department previously held public meetings on this study in March and September 2021. The department has also participated in regular coordination meetings with town staff and other regional stakeholders. Additional project information is available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/projects/machiasbridge/.