The state expects 28 days of work on the storm-damaged road, with the tentative start date set for Oct. 5.
Sep 23, 2026
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SOUTHWEST HARBOR—The state plans to close the Seawall Road for repairs for 28 days this October.
The town has brought up concerns with MaineDOT, which is in charge of the project, about timing worries, asking for the project’s start date to be moved to October 13 because Acadia National Park’s Seawall Campground and Island Explorer fare-free bus system would be shut down by then.
The hope was to minimize the disruption to local businesses and park visitors.
“They said they would consider it,” Southwest Harbor Town Manager Karen Reddersen told her select board, September 22.
The tentative start date is October 5. As of Tuesday evening, the town has not heard of any change to that date.
“We were talking about safety and security measures going through there for emergency personnel, and as of the 13th, the Island Explorer would be completed, as well as the park’s campground would be closed,” Reddersen told the League of Towns meeting attendees earlier Tuesday morning of her meeting with the state. “We’re looking for minutes and some decisions on that.”
At that same meeting, Acadia National Park Deputy Superintendent Brandon Bies said he has not heard of any changes to the state’s plan and that it would be a two-minute disruption to emergency response.
The League of Towns is a collaboration of staff and officials from Bar Harbor, Cranberry Isles, Ellsworth, Lamoine, Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, Swans Island, Tremont, Trenton, and Acadia National Park.
“We heard about some concerns from folks about the timing and whatnot. Again, we want to give deference to Maine DOT,” Bires said. “That said, if we can come up with a solution that the contractor can make it so that the road is open or one way or pushed back a week…”
The road, which is a state road that runs through Southwest Harbor, to national park land, was destroyed in a series of winter storms in 2024.
The Seawall Road links Southwest Harbor to the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse, popular trails (Wonderland and Ship Harbor), and Acadia National Park’s Seawall campground and picnic area.
After months of closure because of that storm damage, six local contractors took the rebuilding of the road into their own hands back in 2024.
It was meant to be a temporary fix.
That fix only happened because the state agreed to let those local businesses voluntarily do that temporary repair to get the road—beloved by MDI residents and tourists—back in working order.
Those community fixes to the looping road which joins Southwest Harbor to Tremont and also to Acadia National Park’s Seawall Campground, Ship Harbor Trail, and Wonderland Trail have always been considered temporary.
Since that repair, there had been back and forth between the town, Acadia National Park, and MaineDOT about how to pay for permanent repairs and upkeep.
In June 2025, Acadia National Park received “supplemental funding from Congress to fund storm-related damages and is working with the state to fully fund the resiliency improvements at Seawall Road,” Karen Reddersen wrote in her manager’s report at the time.
The park and the state have agreed that the funding would pay for the estimated $1.45 million project. This means the state or the Town of Southwest Harbor do not have to contribute to the less temporary fix of the 1,500 feet of road that runs next to Seawall Pond and the ocean.
For a while, the issue was getting the funds to the proper place so the work can happen. The work will now be happening soon.
“We’re happy and grateful that they are doing a project, but there may be some impacts,” Reddersen said.
The road will not be widened. There are structures that look like cages with rocks inside, which will be buried. The road will also be paved. There will be weekly meetings between the DOT and town and park officials.
There will likely be one-way traffic during the paving portion of the work. The state is also working against a paving schedule that becomes impacted by weather.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Six Contractors Have Committed To Fix Seawall For Free
DOT WILL FIX BROKEN SEAWALL ROAD IN SPRING
“Massive destruction on a proportion never seen”
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