Governor Janet T. Mills Addressing the NationL Governors Association Summer Meeting Last Month in Portland.

Speaking of Transportation, Today was the Kick-off Day for the Tandem Mobiiity Bike Share Program. These Are Bikes Parked at the Corner of Washington Avenue and Walnut Street. Bikes are Located at East End Beach and at the Lobsterman Park on Middle Street.

This morning Governor Janet T. Mills, the first woman Governor of Maine and its first woman AG., toured the Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge Project during a visit to the town.  This project will provide a critical connection between Madawaska, Maine and Edmundston,New Brunswick.

Since October 2017, the 100-year old International Bridge has been posted at a five-ton weight limit, restricting allowable travel to passenger vehicles and creating a significant detour for residents and businesses.  With State and Federal funding, the Maine Department of Transportation is constructing a new bridge that will feature wider travel lanes, shoulders on both sides and a raised sidewalk on the downstream side.  The new bridge is being constructed using steel girders supported on concrete substructures and is designed to last 100 years.  The new structure will also connect with a new US Customs and Border Protection land port of entry currently being constructed on the US side of the International Bridge.

The total project cost will be $97.5 mlilion  In 2019, this project received a $36-million Infrastructure for Rebuilding American (INFERA) grant from the US Federal Highway Admininstration.  The remaining costs are being shared by the Maine Department of Transportation and the new Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NBDIT).

“Replacing the International Bridge supports the safe travel of American and Canadian residents and visitors alike,as well as the strength of small businesses who rely on the Bridge to transport their products across our borders,” said Governor Mills.  “In partnership with the Legislture, my Administration has made historic investments in Maine’s transportation infrastructure to support projects like this one which will benefit people on both sides of our border.  I thank the Maine Department of Transportation for its hard work and look forward to the projects completion in the coming years.”