BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 7, 2023
The state has abandoned its preferred plan to replace the Machias dike bridge. The deteriorating structure, which dates to the Civil War era, carries Route 1 over the Middle River in Machias, according to the Maine Department of Transportation. The state originally planned to replace the Machias dike with a 1,000-foot-long bridge with a middle span allowing the Middle River to flow through. That plan concerned nearby landowners, who worried that would expose their waterfront property to tidal flooding. Instead, the Department of Transportation will continue to use a fully gated dike.