FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — As Fort Fairfield’s proposed land port of entry project takes shape, a resident who wants to maintain access to her home and others who worry the border will be closed for an extended period questioned federal leaders Tuesday.
General Services Administration staff held the first public session on the project July 30. Fort Fairfield is one of five places in Maine approved for new or redesigned U.S. Customs and Border Protection stations. Other sites are Limestone, Houlton, Calais and Coburn Gore.
The $35 million to $45 million project will renovate and expand Fort Fairfield’s existing U.S. Customs and Border Protection station. The 90-year-old building is on the National Register of Historic Places, but needs structural, security and technology upgrades. Though construction is still about two years away, an environmental impact assessment has begun, General Services staff said.
The long-term project is in its earliest stages, said Paul Hughes, the administration’s regional public affairs officer for New England.
“We don’t know yet what this is going to entail. We don’t know how it’s going to look, what it’s going to be,” Hughes said. “That’s why your input tonight is important, because we need that to inform our decisions moving forward.”
Last summer, the administration awarded $3.9 million to Dallas-based Jacobs Technology Inc. to advise, manage and schedule the project. A combination of renovations and new construction will modernize the facility, bring it into compliance and provide safer conditions for staff and travelers, Hughes said at that time.
Funding for Maine’s port of entry project comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2022, which provided more than $195 million for the General Services Administration to either build or modernize border facilities statewide.
The administration is now working to assess environmental impacts and historical preservation aspects of the project. The current building is obsolete and can’t handle the amount of traffic that now flows across the border, according to the administration. The facility is also small, has outdated plumbing and electrical systems and can’t accommodate necessary security technology.
About 25 people turned out for Tuesday’s session, where a top concern was maintaining road access.
A number of Fort Fairfield residents have contacted the town office wondering if the border would be closed for an extended period of time during construction, said Town Manager Tim Goff.
There’s a potential the port could be shut down, but it’s too early to know for sure, said Nick Budris of Fort Fairfield, the local General Services Administration project manager. Within another six to eight months he will have a better idea if a closure will happen.
The unusual situation of Brayall Road, which actually forms the U.S. border with Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, is also concerning, Goff said. Fort Fairfield resident Terry Brayall is the only U.S. resident who lives on the road. A few people live on the Canadian side.
The road’s position delays maintenance crews in the winter because town plow trucks are often detained between the two countries, he said. Adding a U.S. turnaround of some type on that road would help.
“I just want to make sure that’s on GSA’s radar, that the Brayall Road is a unique challenge for us to maintain as part of the town, and at the same time there’s a resident who could potentially be stuck in limbo,” Goff said.
Brayall wants to make sure she and visitors will be able to use the main highway during and after construction.
Brayall Road is actually just beyond the U.S. inspection station. Anyone leaving her property has to go through the station to get back into Fort Fairfield, she said. People often have to explain that they aren’t coming from Canada, only from the nearby road.
The entry point to the road could change, but U.S. access will be maintained, said Budris of the GSA.
“Your logistics aren’t the easiest,” Budris said. “But however that port is or isn’t done, you’re the first consideration, meaning we’re always going to try to make a space where you can safely go through that won’t require going through Canada.”
The administration expects to work with the Canadian Border Services Agency on a positive solution for Brayall and the Canadian residents on the road, he said.
Brayall is also concerned that without easy access, her land will lose its value.
“I own 30 acres. Long term, the land is valueless if I can’t access the road,” she said. “They guarantee me I’m going to have access. Hopefully, it won’t be a problem.”
Construction is expected to start in summer 2026, Budris said. General Services is finishing a project development study, and the environmental study process is starting. Other steps will include gathering financial details, facilitating any necessary land acquisitions, and presenting design options.
Another public meeting is planned this coming winter.
Administration staff urged people to share their concerns and comments by emailing [email protected], or sending them to Budris at General Services Administration, GSA-PBS Design and Construction Division New England Region, 202 Harlow St., Bangor 04401.
The deadline for comment is Sept. 6.
