A new link between northeastern Maine and northwestern New Brunswick officially opened Thursday.
The opening of a new bridge, that spans between the village of Clair, N.B. and Fort Kent, Maine, comes two months ahead of schedule and just weeks before the area welcomes thousands of visitors for the World Acadian Congress.
“We just have to look behind us to see the state of the old bridge,” says New Brunswick Premier David Alward. “It's certainly, it's still safe, but with the amount of traffic flow that will be taking place in this area, it was time to get it open."
The new bridge replaces one that has been in place for more than 80 years.
The almost $14 million price tag is being split by the state of Maine and the province of New Brunswick.
The two sides will also share the cost of the demolition of the old bridge, which is expected to be removed within the next year.
Dana Charette is a businessman in downtown Clair. He says the area was overdue for a new bridge.
“I am a person that loves to go ahead, I like to go forward with things, we probably lose antiques, but we do have something better to replace it," says Charette.
On average, more than a thousand vehicles cross between Clair and Fort Kent every day.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell.
