MADAWASKA, Maine — Madawaska and the Maine Department of Transportation will jointly seek bids for town road work, with the option to opt out and have town employees do the work if the bids are too high.
The Madawaska Board of Selectmen made the decision during a special meeting Thursday.
The Maine DOT is scheduling a request for proposals for a mill and fill of Route 1 from the VIP TIres & Service shop on Main Street to about 1.62 miles east, Town Manager David Daigle said Friday.
He said DOT will likely do the project this upcoming summer or during the summer of 2027, since they are undertaking a similar project in Fort Kent.
“The town has a responsibility to replace up to 41 manholes in that project in Madawaska,” Daigle said. “It is not feasible for our public works crew to be able to replace those manhole rims and frames and ring them to grade and get them ready for paving. This takes a lot of coordination and MDOT is better equipped to handle that.”
The town had the option to enter a standard agreement with Maine DOT, in which the town would be billed the cost to replace the manhole covers once the bids come in, but instead chose a second option, allowing them to opt out if the costs are too high.
If the manhole replacement bid price is more than 15% higher than $3,900 per manhole structure, then the town can go out on its own to replace the manholes, Daigle said.
Once a bid is approved, that general contractor will determine when the work occurs and how it proceeds, he said.
