Historic Fish Ladder Bridge and Boardwalk Replacement

Damariscotta Mills

The country’s oldest fish ladder, in Damariscotta Mills, was built in 1807 to enable the seasonal migration of alewives from the saltwater below the mills to the freshwater lakes and streams above where the fish spawn. A restoration project was initiated in 2007 to ensure the continued longevity of this ecologically and culturally significant site. The bridge and boardwalk replacement project is part of that initiative.

Working with the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration Group with support from the Towns of Nobleboro and Newcastle, Kennebec Trails removed the old 28-foot steel I-beam bridge — carefully cutting each beam into sections with a torch and “flying” them out on a highline — and constructed a 32-foot engineered bridge utilizing glulam beams in its place. The new bridge retains the running slope of its historical antecedent and offers the same bird’s eye view down into the fish pools.

As part of its proposed scope of work, Kennebec Trails also replaced the 70-foot section of boardwalk above the bridge, climbing Ladd’s Hill, fitting it out with the same cleats and non-slip asphalt tiling that extend over the bridge decking for surefootedness throughout the seasons.