New 'Coastwise' guidance outlined as a team-based approach to tidal road crossings and marsh restoration

Bobby, a technical adviser on the Coastwise project, described the Coastwise guidance as a 112-page living document with three appendices aimed at managing tidal road crossing replacements to restore marsh function and sediment flows. "Coastwise is a team effort," he said, and the document is intended to guide project development from early assessment through construction and monitoring.

Bobby outlined common problems: undersized culverts, causeways that block tidal sediment, and causeways that disconnect marshes from their sediment sources. He noted roughly 20% of Maine’s coast includes salt marsh to varying degrees, and that many culverts and crossings are too small to maintain marsh elevation and sediment transport. He used Route 1 in Machias as an example where tide controls prevent normal tidal exchange.

The guidance pairs technical recommendations with contacts and case studies; Bobby said it is more than a primer on salt marsh ecology and is designed to point practitioners to federal and state partners, consultants and permitting paths. For some large projects, he said, a full Corps and state individual permit may be required; for others, coordinated designs and monitoring plans can shorten timelines.

Bobby also stressed that restoration is usually a team effort requiring federal, state, academic and nonprofit partners and long-term monitoring. The Coastwise document is presented as a living resource to be updated as practitioners learn from projects and monitoring.