The Edmundston–Madawaska Bridge is an international bridge which connects the cities of

Edmundston Edmundston () is a city in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada. Established in 1850, it had a population of 16,437 as of 2021. On January 1, 2023, Edmundston amalgamated with the village of Rivière-Verte, New Brunswick, Rivière-Verte and ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Madawaska, Maine Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,867 at the 2020 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston, Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston–Madawaska B ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, across the Saint John River. The bridge consists of four steel through truss spans, each in length, for a total length of , which carries a two lane open steel grid deck roadway. The bridge was constructed in 1920, replacing a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

, and opened in 1921. Its original asphalt and timber deck was replaced with the current steel grid deck in 1961.

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

estimated the bridge's traffic at 759,803 vehicles annually in 2006. Effective October 27, 2017, the Edmundston–Madawaska Bridge weight restriction was reduced to 5 tons. Vehicles over 5 tons will be rerouted to the

Fort Kent–Clair Border Crossing The Fort Kent–Clair Border Crossing is at the Clair–Fort Kent Bridge that connects the town of Fort Kent, Maine Fort Kent ( French: ''Fort-Kent'') is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States, situated at the confluence of the F ...

located west or the

Saint Leonard–Van Buren Bridge The Saint Leonard–Van Buren Bridge is an international bridge, which connects the communities of St. Leonard, New Brunswick in Canada and Van Buren, Maine in the United States, across the Saint John River. Transport Canada estimated the bridg ...

located southeast of Edmundston. Construction on a new bridge, intended to serve as a replacement, began in May 2021. The new bridge is expected to be opened by the end of 2023, after which the current bridge is slated for demolition. In November 2023, a spokesperson for the U.S.

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...

said that the new bridge wouldn't open until the Spring of 2024 because of delays in the construction of the U.S. Customs House building. The

Maine Department of Transportation The Maine Department of Transportation, also known as MaineDOT (occasionally referred to as MDOT), is the office of state government charged with the regulation and maintenance of roads, rail, ferries, and other public transport infrastructure i ...

said that the entire bridge project, including the demolition of the old bridge, would be completed by 30 June 2025. The new bridge which cost $135 million opened in June 2024. Funding for the construction of the bridge was divided between the U.S. federal government's Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant Program (INFRA) and the governments of New Brunswick and Maine.

Border crossing

The Madawaska - Edmundston Border Crossing is located at the Edmundston–Madawaska Bridge that connects the town of

with

Edmundston, New Brunswick Edmundston () is a city in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada. Established in 1850, it had a population of 16,437 as of 2021. On January 1, 2023, Edmundston amalgamated with the village of Rivière-Verte and parts of two local service dis ...

on the Canada–US border. The first US border station at Madawaska was a small white cabin at the end of the bridge. Around 1930, a two-story wooden border station was constructed. This was replaced by the current one-story brick border station in 1960. For many years, Canada had a small wooden border station with a red roof. This structure was replaced in 1992 with the current brick facility. As part of the new bridge construction project, a new land port of entry will be built on the Madawaska side; construction is projected to begin in summer 2021.

References

External links

Transport Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge Road bridges in New Brunswick International bridges in Maine Truss bridges in Canada Truss bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1920 Transport in Edmundston Buildings and structures in Edmundston Transportation buildings and structures in Aroostook County, Maine Bridges over the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy) Madawaska, Maine Road bridges in Maine Steel bridges in the United States Steel bridges in Canada 1921 establishments in Maine 1921 establishments in New Brunswick

Border crossing

See also

References

External links