Clair–Fort Kent Bridge
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.
Clair – Fort Kent Bridge | |
|---|---|
Clair – Fort Kent Bridge During April 2008 Flood | |
| Coordinates | 47°14′57.3″N 68°36′13.6″W |
| Carries | Connects US 1 / SR 161 in the United States and Route 205 / Route 161 in Canada. |
| Crosses | Saint John River |
| Locale | Canada–United States border |
| Owner | State Highway Agency |
| Maintained by | State Highway Agency |
| ID number | 2398 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss - Thru |
| Material | Steel beams |
| Total length | 221.93 m (728.1 ft) |
| Width | 12.2 m |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| Load limit | M 18 |
| Clearance above | 1.5 m |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1929 |
| Construction end | 1930 |
| Replaces | cable ferry, cable suspension footbridge |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 958 (2010) |
| Location | |
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 (US 1) in Maine, also forming the northern terminus of US 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. The bridge has three steel through-truss spans of 73.15 m (240.0 ft) each for a total length of 221.93 m (728.1 ft).
In 1995, the first 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, and then painted with a primer of inorganic zinc. In the same year, the downstream exterior stringers in these 1.5 spans were 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.