Fort Fairfield is one step closer to an improved port of entry at its border with New Brunswick following the awarding of a nearly $4 million contract for construction management.
The $35 million to $45 million project will renovate the existing U.S. Customs and Border Protection station. Work is expected to start in summer 2026 and finish in spring 2028.
Fort Fairfield will be the third Aroostook County community to see improved border facilities under the U.S. General Services Administration. A new port of entry is under construction in Madawaska, and Houlton learned in June its station will get a facelift.
Improvements will make crossing the Fort Fairfield border easier for businesses and families, Paul Hughes, the administration’s regional public affairs officer for New England, said Wednesday.
“The people who live along the border depend on this deep, cross-border community engagement, often crossing through the port daily for jobs, mutual aid and everyday life,” he said.
The General Services Administration awarded $3.9 million to Dallas, Texas-based Jacobs Technology Inc. to advise, manage and schedule the project.
Fort Fairfield’s current border station, built in 1934, hasn’t seen major renovations for a decade, Hughes said. The project will make the 89-year-old building more energy efficient and add technology to improve traffic flow and inspection, according to the administration.
The port of entry will be renovated and some new construction will be added, Hughes said. It’s too early to know specific design details because engineers haven’t completed plans.
He declined to say what structural elements of the building are lacking, but said the renovations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and also make border crossing and supply chain movement more efficient.
The building will also incorporate advanced technology that will allow Customs and Border Protection to make the border more secure, he said.
“This project will allow CBP to more effectively deploy the latest technology to identify high-risk activity and shipments, combat drug trafficking, and increase operational security,” Hughes said.
Funding to improve U.S. ports of entry comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2022, which provides $3.4 billion for the General Services Administration to either build or modernize border facilities.
Maine will get more than $195 million for its border stations. In Aroostook County, Limestone will also see some renovations, estimated at $15 million to $25 million. That project is slated to start in June 2025 and finish in May 2027.
Other targeted sites are the Calais Ferry Land Port of Entry and the Coburn Gore Port of Entry on the Quebec border.
