Helicopter takes flight to launch early work on Madawaska bridge
Courtesy / CHI Aviation
One of the fleet of heavy-lift helicopters operated by CHI Aviation, which is flying equipment this week to the future Madawaska bridge site. This helo can carry a payload of 26,000 pounds.
Replacement of the deteriorating Madawaska International Bridge won’t go out to bid for another year, but the Maine Department of Transportation has begun scoping out the project — with some aerial assistance.
To evaluate bedrock that may support future bridge abutments and piers, MDOT is flying drill rigs to the Saint John River via a heavy-lift helicopter, or "aerial crane." The geological survey is a first step in the planned $73.5 million replacement project.
The steep embankments and shallow depths of the river make it necessary to fly to and from the site. The payloads include a barge and drilling equipment, as well as core samples recovered from four different in-water pier locations, MDOT spokesman Paul Merrill said.
This is the first time MDOT has used a helicopter in its bridge-building, and the aircraft won’t be necessary during actual construction.
The department is paying $204,000 to Michigan-based CHI Aviation for the helicopter service, which includes the aircraft and crew, according to Merrill. The helicopter flights began Sunday and will run through Friday, and take off from an area west of Mill Street and north of U.S. Route 1 in Madawaska.
The flight path does not cross over occupied structures or public roads, and the helicopter shuttling shouldn’t affect residents, according to MDOT.
The current 928-foot-long bridge was built in 1920 and crosses the Saint John, providing a vital link for residents and businesses in both Maine and Edmundston, New Brunswick.
In 2017, the bridge was deemed “facture critical” with numerous deteriorating support beams, decking and substructures. Since then, Maine and New Brunswick officials have limited bridge traffic to vehicles less than 5 tons, which excludes most commercial trucks.
In July, MDOT received $36 million in funding for the new bridge from the U.S. Department of Transportation. MDOT officials are talking with counterparts in New Brunswick about the remaining $38 million required for the project, Merrill said Monday.
The department expects to seek contractors for the project in the fall of 2020.
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