Over 90 people attended the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) public meeting on June 28 to discuss a bridge span for the Machias dike as the "preferred alternative" to replace the existing four-box causeway span. While passions were strong for preserving the dike, the MDOT representatives seemed most interested in the concerns raised about the presence of two old dump sites that could contain mercury, lead, DDT and more pollutants and that could be leaching already or could leach in the future if the Middle River were to have a change in tidal flooding with the removal of the old dike and replacement with a bridge.
     The current structure dates to the Civil War era and is deteriorating to the point where MDOT Chief Engineer and Planning Study Project Manager Joyce Taylor said, "If those concrete slabs over the boxes go, we don't know how to fix it." The MDOT's primary mandate is to keep the public safe and able to get from point to point on the state's transportation infrastructure. In addition, Taylor explained, "We can't get a permit from the Army Corps [of Engineers] to rebuild what is there." The dike causeway carries Route 1 over the Middle River into and out of the Town of Machias, with no other direct route for traffic if it should fail.
     Taylor outlined the purpose and need of the project; keeping a safe Route 1 open and preserving the Calais rail line were the two initial goals. However, with public input the project expanded to include: maintain existing uses such as the vending and recreational parking areas; minimize flooding; improve fish passage; and accommodate sea level rise.
     While the bridge span design is in early stages, project renderings gave an idea to the public of what could be possible with the new space. The bridge portion would be about 100 feet long, with either end supported by causeway. The entire structure would maintain the Sunrise Trail. The bridge portion would return tidal exchange upstream of the causeway, allowing for improved fish passage and account for anticipated sea level rise. Taylor noted that because of previous meetings held in March and September of 2021 and public input, the project has grown to include space for vendors to sell their goods, an important economic draw, a green space walkway for pedestrians and Sunrise Trail access.
     The proposed bridge span would meet federal permitting and funding requirements as it stands; however, after listening to a number of public comments it was clear that additional research and studies would be part of the work plan. Taylor noted, "I don't see going forward with the bridge" if contamination from two old dump sites is discovered that could have an impact on downriver clam flats. "We need to know if it's a problem." Preliminary testing of the initial dredging area "looks promising," she added, but more information needs to be collected.
     Jacob van de Sande with Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) was at an earlier MDOT meeting that day for stakeholders and says, "One of the things I said at the afternoon meeting was that MCHT would not support the bridge alternative if it meant that toxins or sediment from the Middle River would impact the clam flats in Machiasport. Those clam flats are the most productive in the state and very important to the local economy. MCHT has been working for years with the Town of Machiasport to help ensure clam access and conserve land that supports water quality and protects the flats."

Concerns about bridge raised
      Not everyone at the June 28 meeting was sold on the bridge idea. The bridge would allow for tidal activity and tidal flooding long absent from the area because of the dike. Property owners who farm salt meadow fields spoke of the long tradition of farming the hay, raising beef cattle and more on their land that would be threatened, if not completely flooded out, by the bridge.
     Wayde Carter, a Marshfield selectman and game warden for over 20 years, asked if any fisheries studies had been conducted. Large sums have been spent on trying to get the Atlantic salmon back, but, he said, "They're not coming back." Taylor replied, "It really is about Atlantic salmon when it comes down to it." Carter then said that the MDOT needs to "stand up to NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]." Taylor said, "We have stood up to NOAA since 2009 [on the dike project], and we have not been successful."
     In September 2020 NOAA indicated to MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration that it had substantial concern with a proposed in kind replacement of the current dike structure. NOAA wrote that the option "would provide even less opportunity for fish passage than exists now and will not remedy ongoing impacts." In April 2022, NOAA indicated its preference against replacing the current structure with culverts or tide gates. MDOT's proposed bridge span is based in part on NOAA's guidance and the implication that a lack of federal support could have a negative impact on state taxpayers and sources of funding for the project.
     Business owner and Marshfield resident David Whitney said, "Everybody in this room is conservation minded." He added, "It sounds like NOAA is steering the ship in a big big way, and I feel NOAA really needs to be at the table." Helen's Restaurant business owner Julie Barker followed up her statements about the importance of the clam industry to the region by saying, "Please get NOAA to come to Machias."
     Downeast Salmon Federation Executive Director Dwayne Shaw said, "You can try to throw NOAA under the bus," but in the end it is possible to bring things back. He pointed to the presence of sturgeon in Penobscot Bay and other parts of Maine where "decrepit infrastructure" has been removed or rebuilt differently. "It's incumbent upon us to try" to bring things back, he said, adding that DSF and others "are in the job to innovate." Washington County, he said, could lead in the efforts.
     Other comments included the historical nature of the dike and the long beds dug into the marsh areas by settlers in the early 1800s to increase the production of salt hay, a once valuable commodity for local use and export to the Boston area markets. Valdine Atwood, who has researched and written about local history for years, noted that settlers came down the coast looking for salt marsh hay. "It's why people came here." Shaw noted that many residents had families that came to the region early on and were involved in forestry, agriculture and the formation of the long beds. "Our families were all involved," he pointed out, but "today there are new economies, the restoration economy." He added, "We [DSF] are in support of this alternative at this time, contingent on what might be found in the future" with possible contamination of the clam flats and wells.
     Jacob van de Sande explains that the salt marsh along the Middle River is significant. "At the national level, 300 acres of salt marsh is a big deal." MCHT has salt marsh initiatives "because they are so productive and unique." They sequester 10 times the carbon of an average forest, they are rare on the landscape and provide important habitat to a myriad of wildlife. He adds, "We believe that if the tide is returned, the marsh and fish passage restored, that it would benefit the clam flats by improving water quality and increasing productivity. We hope that by working with all of the partners on conservation and restoration in upper Machias Bay that the flats down river in Machiasport and East Machias that have been closed for years could be reopened."
     MDOT is collecting public comments on the project. Comments can be directed in writing to: Martin Rooney, Bureau of Planning, MDOT, 16 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.