Town officials, project partners, and community members gathered on July 11 to celebrate the ribbon cutting for the Mill Creek Crossing project in Penobscot, Maine—marking a major milestone for a resilience-focused improvement along Route 175.
VHB partnered with the Town of Penobscot, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and MaineDOT to design the new crossing at Mill Creek, an area long affected by coastal flooding and constrained by an aging granite culvert. Fully funded through state and federal grants, the project improves coastal roadway reliability for residents while protecting the stream and adjacent marsh system that supports passage of alewife to important upstream spawning habitat in Pierce Pond.
The design raises the roadway profile to reduce overtopping and flood-related closures and replaces the compromised culvert with a larger concrete structure that improves hydraulic capacity and enhances fish passage. Designed to better align with natural stream processes, the crossing also supports long-term ecological function and restoration of the upstream salt marsh. Guided by Coastwise principles and nature-based solutions, the project incorporates a wider, more natural stream channel, vegetated embankments, and protection of existing marsh features to enhance habitat and coastal resilience.
To develop the design, VHB used tidal monitoring and hydraulic modeling to evaluate site conditions and establish the roadway elevation and culvert replacement approach. The project was designed in accordance with coastal highway and aquatic organism passage guidance and includes roadway safety improvements, a new parking area, and a pedestrian trail with stream access.
VHB Project Manager Robert Blunt noted, “The Mill Creek project is a great example of how we can bring a community together, improve safety, and reduce flooding while restoring tidal flow, protecting a salt marsh, and restoring alewife migration. It shows how carefully considered, resilient infrastructure and a healthy ecosystem can co-exist. A project goal for me is to let the fish swim without even sensing that the crossing exists. Let ‘em swim!”
Construction began in April 2026, with careful attention to maintaining tidal conditions and protecting sensitive natural resources during installation. A scientific monitoring program, supported through grant funding, will track project performance during construction and provide Maine Maritime Academy students with hands-on experience in coastal resilience field work.
Learn more about VHB’s transportation planning and engineering and coastal resiliency services.
