Portland again seeks community input for 'Reimagining Franklin Street' project
PHOTO / COURTESY CITY OF PORTLAND
An aerial view of a portion of Franklin Street from Cumberland Avenue to the waterfront.
The city of Portland is inviting community members to participate in two workshops for the Reimagining Franklin Street project.
The workshops are intended to give the public opportunities to engage directly in the design for the renovation of Franklin Street, which is a heavily trafficked corridor between Interstate I-295 and Portland's downtown and waterfront.
The goal of the redesign is to reconnect neighborhoods divided by the arterial’s construction in the late 1960s, and transform the corridor to better serve motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
A master plan for the project was completed and adopted by the city council in 2015, but much has changed in that section of the city since then.
The project received a $2 million federal grant in January from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities pilot program. Those funds are being matched by the city and the Maine Department of Transportation, with each contributing $250,000.
In February the city hired WSP USA Inc., an engineering firm with U.S. headquarters in New York City, to lead the redesign planning.
The community sessions are scheduled for June 25 and 26, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Portland Public Library at 5 Monument Square. They are intended to build upon input received by the more than 100 attendees at the April 17 open house and the 300-plus responses to a project survey.
The June 25 workshop invites attendees to share ideas and priorities for a new street design and land use plan through interactive activities. On June 26, the workshop offers attendees a chance to see the street design work in progress and provide input on its direction.
Community members are also invited to meet the project team at Lincoln Park (on the corner of Congress and Franklin Streets) on Wednesday, June 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tours along Franklin Street will be conducted every 15 minutes.
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