BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 21, 2022
State transportation officials are planning to replace a decades-old dike where Route 1 crosses the mouth of Middle River in Machias with a bridge, which will restore the natural tidal flow into Middle River from the adjacent Machias River. But for nearby landowners, it’s an update that comes with unwanted change. The bridge would be roughly 1,000 feet long with a wide span in the middle to allow the tide to flow underneath. That would allow passage for several fish species, including protected Atlantic salmon, currently blocked by the dike, but it is not welcome news for waterfront property owners on the Middle River. Some say the removal of the dike will expose their properties to larger fluctuations in the tide, allowing the flow of water upriver and onto abutting properties.