Work on the new International Bridge in Madawaska, ME is moving ahead on schedule and on budget. The six-span, 1,825-foot bridge connecting Madawaska, ME and Edmundston, NB is on track to open late fall 2023.
Reed & Reed crews worked on the Maine abutment through the harsh northern Maine winter and wrapped up the three hammerhead piers over the summer. Our Canadian subcontractor, Greenfield Construction, finished up two piers and the New Brunswick abutment during the same time. Crews began erecting over 7.2 million pounds of structural steel girders in late August and this work is scheduled to be completed by the end of November. Reed & Reed chose to erect its first girders in pairs, which was a carefully planned and choreographed process. These paired girders weighed over 370,000 pounds but our skilled operators and ironworkers made the two-crane lifts look easy.
Upon completion of steel erection, crews will begin forming for the concrete deck. The contract requires the deck concrete be poured in 14 different placements and our progress this fall with the decks will be weather dependent.
We are required to remove the work trestle, which now spans the entire St John River, by February 15 to avoid the risk of ice and high-water damage. Upon completion of the concrete deck, sidewalk, railings lighting, and paving, the bridge will be ready for traffic. Our crews will then turn their attention to removal of the existing 4-span through truss steel bridge.
Reed & Reed’s contract completion date is June 30, 2025 for this $86 million project.
