Courtesy / Maine Medical Center
Map shows patient access points and the detour route during Phase 1 construction activities.
June 1, 2018
MMC construction update: Congress Street to reopen weeks ahead of schedule
Courtesy / Maine Medical Center
Artist's rendering depicts the additional three floors on Maine Medical Center's Visitor's Garage, adding 225 spaces for patients and visitors, which required traffic to be detoured on that section of Congress Street. The hospital announced today that through traffic on Congress is expected to be reopened on June 8, three weeks ahead of schedule.
By Staff
Maine Medical Center has good news for Portland motorists who’ve been detoured by the temporary closure of lower Congress Street to accommodate a crane used in the hospital’s expansion and modernization project.
The hospital announced today that Congress Street is expected to reopen between Forest and Weymouth streets on Friday, June 8, roughly three weeks ahead of schedule.
That portion of Congress Street was closed May 7 to accommodate a very large crane used to add three floors with 225 additional spaces onto Maine Medical Center’s patient and visitor garage. This addition is part of Phase 1 of MMC’s $512 million modernization and expansion project.
Crews began dismantling the crane today, according to the hospital’s news release. MMC’s contractors will next survey Congress Street and repave as needed to restore the roadway to its previous condition.
MMC said it expects that effective June 8, all traffic will resume through Congress Street.
While the detour was originally scheduled to continue through the end of June, MMC reported that the collaborative planning and coordination it did with Turner Construction, the construction crews and the city of Portland “significantly accelerated the re-opening of a major community artery.”
The successful detour route used during the four weeks of construction was developed through multiple meetings with numerous city departments — including traffic, parking, police, fire and planning officials — and was informed by meetings with neighborhood associations, residents and local businesses, including the Portland Sea Dogs.
“This is only one part of our multi-year expansion and modernization project, but it is certainly a positive start,” Jeff Sanders, MMC chief operating officer and executive vice president. “We appreciate all the hard work done by our partners and the city, as well as the support and thoughtful feedback we have received from neighbors and area businesses. As the investments we are making become visible and felt within the neighborhood, we are another step closer to fulfilling our vision of ensuring our communities are the healthiest in America.”
Portland: 'Great news for the immediate neighborhood'
Portland City Manager Jon Jennings thanked MMC for its coordination of the shutdown and detour with the city and neighborhood, as well as for “committing the necessary resources in order to get it done ahead of schedule.”
“Being able to reopen Congress Street earlier than expected is great news for the immediate neighborhood and commuters in general,” Jennings stated in the news release. “ I’d like to especially thank our public safety officials who moved quickly to ensure this could happen, and the general public for their patience.”
Maine Medical Center patients and visitors will again be able to enter the Bramhall Campus visitor’s garage and the 887 Congress St. Garage via the Congress Street entrances. The additional spaces in the visitor’s garage will be completed and ready for use by the end of summer.
MMC's $512M project
Courtesy / Maine Medical Center
The East Tower is scheduled to be completed by late 2019.
Phase 1 of the modernization project also includes the addition of two new floors to the East Tower, which will hold 64 new oncology rooms as well as the site of MMC’s helipad, allowing for efficient transport to the emergency department and trauma center. MMC expects to complete construction of the new patient floors later in 2019.
Altogether, MMC’s $512 million project will create 128 new private patient rooms, add 19 procedure rooms for surgeries and other complex treatments, provide an additional 225 spaces for patient and visitor parking and consolidate MMC staff parking into a single location that will meet current demand and future growth.
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