$18M in dredging funds will help clear the way for vessels at 4 Maine sites

Photo / PETER VAN ALLEN Perkins Cove in Ogunquit is among four sites earmarked for harbor dredging. Pictured here is the Perkins Cove Drawbridge.

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By Staff

Four Maine dredging projects in Ogunquit, Scarborough, Milbridge and Bar Harbor will split $18.5 million in federal funding through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Maine's two U.S. senators announced on Wednesday.

The projects, included in the Army Corps of Engineers' work plan for fiscal year 2022, will receive a combined total $18,455,000, according to the announcement.

“These critical dredging projects for Bar Harbor as well as rivers in Ogunquit, Milbridge, and Scarborough will help address significant safety and navigational concerns for commercial fishermen as well as recreational boaters,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, said in a joint statement.

"Maine’s waterways are the lifeblood of many coastal towns and support our state’s economy. These investments are excellent examples of how the bipartisan infrastructure package is creating jobs and providing substantial benefits to Maine’s communities and families.”

Collins, the ranking member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, was part of the core group of 10 senators who negotiated the text of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

Funding for Maine will be allocated as follows:

Bar Harbor: $6,325,000 for breakwater repairs and surveys
Ogunquit: Josias River, Perkins Cove, $3,425,000 for dredging and surveys
Milbridge: Narraguagus River, $3,905,000 for dredging and surveys
Scarborough: Scarborough River, $4,800,000 for dredging.

The four Maine projects are among 500 port and waterway improvement projects across the U.S. slated to receive $14 billion to "strengthen the nation's supply chain, provide significant new economic opportunities nationwide and bolster our defenses against climate change," the White House said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, issued a separate announcement about the two projects in her district, in Scarborough and Ogunquit.

“Maine waterways like the Scarborough and Josias Rivers are crucial economic drivers for our communities,” Pingree said. “Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, more than $8 million is soon headed to Maine’s 1st Congressional District to maintain these rivers — ensuring that our essential water infrastructure can continue to serve Maine and Mainers for decades to come.”