| Clair – Fort Kent Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Crosses | Saint John River |
| Construction begin | 1929 |
| Construction end | 1930 |
| Daily traffic | 766 |
The Clair – Fort Kent Bridge is a steel truss bridge crossing the Saint John River between Clair, New Brunswick in Canada and Fort Kent, Maine in the United States.
The bridge handles approximately 279,490 vehicle crossings per year and forms a border crossing on the International Boundary. It connects with Route 205 in New Brunswick and Route 161 and U.S. Route 1 in Maine, also forming the northern terminus of Route 1.
Since it is an international bridge, the Canadian portion of the structure is the responsibility of the Province of New Brunswick, while the American portion is operated by the State of Maine. The bridge was built in 1929–30 as a replacement for an existing cable ferry and a cable suspension footbridge. There are three steel trough-truss spans of 73.15 m (240.0 ft) each for a total length of 221.93 m (728.1 ft).
In 1995, the 1st pier from the New Brunswick abutment had major repairs done. In 1997, the steel members under the deck in the first 1.5 spans from the New Brunswick end were sandblasted then painted with a primer of inorganic zinc. In the same year the downstream exterior stringers in these 1.5 spans was replaced. In 1998, the downstream concrete curb in the first 1.5 spans from the New Brunswick end was replaced. In 2000, the New Brunswick end concrete abutment underwent a major restoration.
In January 2011, the Maine Department of Transportation imposed a 2.7 ton weight restriction on the bridge after advanced deterioration of the bridge on Maine's side was discovered during a routine inspection. On January 28, 2011, officials from New Brunswick and Maine announced plans to build a new bridge and demolish the existing structure. Construction is expected to begin before the end of 2011, after environmental studies are finished.[1]