Penobscot road to reopen after monthlong construction project

Migrating fish swimming through Mill Creek’s new culvert expected to make it in time for Alewife Day celebration this weekend

The new culvert at Mill Creek on Bayview Road in Penobscot. Photo by John Boit.

May 19, 2026

By John Boit

PENOBSCOT—Traffic will flow over a new bridge in Penobscot this week for the first time in a month, while migrating alewives passing under it through a new culvert will make their way to a celebration in their honor this week.

Bayview Road at Mill Creek will reopen to one lane of traffic on the morning of Thursday, May 21, according to Penobscot select board chair Harold Hatch. The road has been closed for a month during the $2.2 million construction project, effectively cutting the town in half and causing motorists to take a 20-mile detour to drive from one side of town to the other.

A new large box culvert has now replaced a much smaller culvert made of granite blocks. The new culvert is expected to aid in fish passage for migrating alewives who swim up the creek and into Pierce’s Pond to spawn, an event that will be celebrated on Saturday, May 23 at the annual Alewife Day in Penobscot.

The old granite culvert prior to reconstruction. File photo.

When reopened this week, traffic will have alternating one-way traffic “off and on through the process” of putting finishing touches on the bridge this week, but will still be “a much shorter wait than driving around” the detour, Hatch said. 

Crews from Sargent Construction will then focus on turning the former town sand pit next to the bridge into a gravel parking area that can accommodate up to 25 cars, Hatch said. Some of the granite blocks from the old culvert will be used in that parking area as well as along a walkway to the bridge. That work will be finished in the next two weeks, Hatch said.

A large four-foot mill stone unearthed during construction – a reminder of how the stream got its name – will also be set in a prominent position as a reminder of the area’s history, Hatch said.

Harold Hatch presents a gas card to Jamie MacNair, owner of the town’s only general store, which has seena. decline in sales due to the road closure. Photo courtesy of Harold Hatch.

While the project caused a major inconvenience for local travel, its long-term benefits will be worth it for decades to come, Hatch said. 

“We get the peace of mind that when we have a strong southwest wind and high-surge tide, we don’t need to be wondering whether we are going to have a catastrophic failure there that is going to cause havoc for a longer period of time than the 30 days we’ve been shut down [for the construction project],” Hatch said.

Hatch gave out hats to Sargent Construction workers in appreciation of their efforts this week. He also presented a $300 gas card from Sargent to Jamie MacNair, owner of Northern Bay Market, who has seen a significant drop in store traffic during construction.

The town is planning a formal ceremony to officially open the bridge on July 12.

Alewife Day

Meanwhile, as traffic flows once again over the bridge this week, another commute has been taking place beneath it: Migrating alewives are swimming through the culvert as they make their way toward Pierce’s Pond, where they’ll be the guests of honor at a celebration known locally as Alewife Day. Alewives have already been spotted schooling up both below and above the culvert. The creek has remained open to fish passage throughout the project.

The numbers of migrating alewives have spiked in recent years due to restoration efforts at several areas of the Bagaduce River, including tributaries like Mill Creek, giving it the distinction of being the first watershed in the state to be fully restored for fish passage.

The fish appear to have arrived just in time: For the seventh year in a row, the three-town Alewife Committee of Brooksville, Penobscot and Sedgwick, as well as by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, will host the Bagaduce River Alewife Celebration on May 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pierce’s Pond in Penobscot.  

Hatch gave out hats made by his wife, Penny, to project foreman Jeshua Dearborn and his crew. Photo courtesy of Harold Hatch.

Attendees can watch fish swim up through the new culvert as well as through a new series of pools created for them in 2025. Bald eagles often line the marsh and stream waiting for the dinner bell to ring.

Alewife Day “offers the opportunity to taste a smoked alewife, watch alewives enter the pond, and learn about the important role these fish play in our local ecosystem,” according to a press release on the event. Attendees can also decorate items they bring from home, such as t-shirts or cloth shopping bags, and decorate them with alewife prints.

Exhibitors at the event include Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine Maritime Academy, Maine SeaGrant, and many of the organizations that have collaborated to improve fish passage and restore the historic alewife runs on the Bagaduce River. The Rising Tide will also host a table at the event.

ONE FISH, TWO FISH…On a field trip organized by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, first and second graders from Brooksville Elementary School count spawning alewives climbing a fish ladder at Walker Pond on May 19. The children were supervised by Matthew Glidden, seated, an intern with MCHT who studies coastal marine environments at Maine Maritime Academy. Photo by John Epstein.