FARMINGTON — High Peaks Alliance has secured a $1 million Northern Border Regional Commission grant for its planned Sandy River Bridge.

It brings the total raised to $4.5 million as organizers work toward seeking construction bids in spring 2027.

The project is estimated to cost $4.22 million, according to High Peaks Alliance Executive Director Brent West. The money raised includes for contingencies and potential cost overruns.

“We are grateful to NBRC for believing in this project and helping us keep it moving forward,” West said. “This funding gives us the momentum we need to get the project to bid and lock in a final price.”

The bridge would extend the Whistle Stop Trail into downtown Farmington, providing a Sandy River crossing for pedestrians and snowmobiles. A 2026 analysis by Wallace Economic Advisers estimated the connection could bring 24,000 trail users a year, generate $766,000 in annual local spending and support 11 jobs in the regional economy.

Costs rose after a new survey found that elevation data used in plans prepared through a Maine Department of Transportation program in 2007 was wrong, West said.

The original survey used the wrong map projection, placing railbed elevations about 8 feet off. A corrected survey showed one bridge abutment would need to be 8 feet higher to keep the structure above the 500-year flood plain, adding about $400,000 to the project estimate.

The planned design has also changed. An earlier cable-stayed bridge was intended to avoid work in the riverbed, but West said it was too expensive and would have limited the pool of qualified contractors.

The current plan calls for two 170-foot trusses that meet at a single pier in the middle of the Sandy River.

“The current design is the most practical and conventional way to build this bridge,” West said.

Building the center pier will require in-water work, prompting a biological assessment and ongoing consultation over potential effects on Atlantic salmon. The current in-water work window runs from July 15 through Sept. 30, West said, which could require construction to occur over two seasons.

The group is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a possible additional work window.

“This is a big deal for us because that could save an additional year of waiting to finish and would hopefully help keep costs down,” West said.

Before bidding, High Peaks Alliance must complete local planning board review, permitting with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, endangered species consultation and federal environmental review required for projects using public funds. The group has also consulted with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Historic Preservation and tribal representatives.

High Peaks Alliance still expects bidding in spring 2027. West said the remaining approvals and construction restrictions will determine the final schedule, with 2029 the current worst-case estimate for opening the bridge.