A former border crossing facility is set to be put up for sale to the public – and the bidding starts at just $25,000.

The US General Services Administration, which manages real estate for federal agencies, announced that the former port of entry at 63 Bridge Avenue in Madawaska, Maine, will hit the market on Wednesday morning.

Customs and Border Protection relocated its operations from the facility to a new location last year, leaving the property to collect dust. 

A multi-agency project to close the old bridge and construct a new one wrapped up last year, and the facility hasn’t operated as a border crossing since.

GSA announced that the sale would reduce unnecessary spending on an empty facility, ultimately helping American taxpayers. 

‘In the spirit of fiscal responsibility and smart asset management, GSA is transforming an underutilized border facility into an opportunity for community and economic development,’ Public Buildings Service Regional Commissioner Glenn C. Rotondo said of the auction. 

‘This auction represents our ongoing commitment to maximize value for hardworking American taxpayers while responsibly divesting government real estate that no longer serves its original purpose.’

Interested bidders must register online and submit a $5,000 deposit to participate in the auction. 

The former border crossing facility will be put up for sale in an online auction on Wednesday morning 

Interested buyers must register online with a $5,000 deposit. Bidding for the property starts at $25,000

The bridge by the former port of entry was closed due to deterioration. A new crossing was built further upstream and opened last year 

The online auction opens at 10am EST on Wednesday with bids starting at $25,000, and auctioneers can increase their bids in $1,000 increments. 

Registered bidders can inspect the property by appointment only. The building is 2,900 square feet on the first floor with a 2,900 square foot finished basement. 

The property spans almost one acre and sits along the Saint John River, which separates Maine from Canada. 

The building is also equipped with a guard shack and a shed for a generator. Part of the property is located in a floodplain and cannot be built on. 

The auction comes after multiple agencies launched a project to close the border crossing due to the old bridge’s deterioration. 

Officials with the General Services Administration said the auction marked a smart economic move to divest from unneeded government real estate (Pictured: The Madawaska-Edmudston border crossing in 2014)

A new bridge was built upstream on the St. John River, while the former port of entry closed last year 

The new bridge has wider travel lanes, added shoulders, and a raised sidewalk. The total construction for the project cost an estimated $97.5 million 

The Maine Department of Transportation, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NBDTI), the GSA, and the Canadian Border Services Agency opened a new port of entry about 1,400 feet upstream from the old bridge last June. 

The new Madawaska-Edmundston bridge has wider travel lanes, added shoulders, and a raised sidewalk.

Construction began in 2021 and concluded this year. The new bridge is designed to last 100 years. 

The total construction and relocation project cost $97.5 million, with $36 million from an Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant.