FORT FAIRFIELD and LIMESTONE, Maine — Community members can lend their voices to discussions on new ports of entry for Limestone and Fort Fairfield.
The U.S. General Services Administration will hold a public meeting in Limestone October 24 and another in Fort Fairfield October 25 to update both communities on planned upgrades to the towns’ U.S. Customs and Border Protection stations, which border New Brunswick.
Limestone’s current border station was built in 1933 while Fort Fairfield’s was completed one year later. Upgrades are intended to make the ports of entry more energy efficient, add technology to improve traffic flow and inspection, reduce greenhouse emissions and make supply chain movement more efficient.
Limestone’s station upgrades are estimated to cost between $15 million and $25 million, and be under renovation from June 2025 to May 2027. Fort Fairfield’s project will cost between $35 to $45 million, with work starting in July 2026 and ending in May 2028.
Funding for both projects comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2022, which provides $3.4 billion to the General Services Administration to build or modernize border crossing facilities.
As part of the $195 million that Maine received for border station upgrades, Houlton will also see improvements to its port of entry. Madawaska’s new port of entry is still under construction.
The Limestone meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. at Limestone Community School. Fort Fairfield’s meeting will happen Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. at Fort Fairfield Middle High School.
At both meetings, General Service Administration officials will gather feedback from community members on how they use the current ports of entry and identify shared goals for improving the border stations, said Paul Hughes, regional public affairs officer for General Service Administration’s New England division.
