MAINE GOVERNMENT NEWS • June 24, 2022
The Machias Dike Bridge, built in the 1930s s in need of replacement, and the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) has identified a bridge design as their “preferred alternative” for the project. The Nature Conservancy Maine Chapter applauds MDOT’s design. This approach will make Route 1 more resilient to flooding by elevating the road surface. Ecologically, MDOT’s design is also a marked improvement. The bridge opening restores tidal flow to over 300 acres of impounded salt marsh, making it one of the biggest and most important marsh restoration opportunities in the state. If implemented, fish like striped bass, shad, and Atlantic Salmon will be able to travel up the Middle River for the first time in decades.