Golden secures $4 million for flood prevention in Augusta

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced today that he has secured nearly $4 million for the Augusta Front Street Resiliency Project, which will be used to reduce the frequency and severity of flooding downtown. 

The funding is part of the partial 2024 government funding package signed into law on Saturday. It will be used to elevate and reconfigure portions of downtown Augusta adjacent to the Kennebec River. 

“Images and footage of the flooding on Front Street last December may have stunned Mainers across the state, but the Augusta community has known that updates are needed to protect residents and businesses from damage associated with more frequent, more extreme flooding,” Golden said. “I’m proud to have partnered with the city to identify the infrastructure most at risk from flooding and deliver the funding needed to increase resiliency.”

“Here in Augusta, we have witnessed first-hand over the past few months the impact of climate change, with more frequent storms and damaging flooding along the Kennebec River,” said Keith Luke, economic development director for the City of Augusta. “The Front Street Resiliency Project aims to mitigate these effects by raising the Front Street parking area by two feet, which will significantly reduce the frequency of floodwaters necessitating the closure of the parking area, impacting local businesses and residents less often.”

The funding will also provide park-like amenities such as a combination of seating areas, open spaces, and a river overlook deck. 

The request on behalf of the City of Augusta was one of 15 awards from Golden’s Community Project Funding (CPF) requests approved as part of the appropriations package. His $26 million in successful CPF requests was the most of any Democrat in Congress.

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