Rebuild Franklin Street Now

Rebuild Franklin Street Now Graphic: C. MilNeil In summary, the Rebuilding of Franklin Street will reverse outdated planning assumptions, and reintegrate the Portland Peninsula.

The Franklin Street Plan will create a vibrant urban corridor, balancing transportation needs for all people, in a context of housing, parks and open-space, and mixed-use development. • Reclaiming up to 6 acres of under-utilized public land.
• Creating opportunities for a 1000+ housing units.
• Expanding historic Lincoln Park, pocket parks, and open space.
• Reconnecting the urban fabric and histo

ric neighborhoods.
• Generating economic development and increased tax revenue.
• Improving safety and mobility for current and future traffic, including motor vehicles, transit, bicycles, and pedestrians.
• Strengthening connections between the waterfront and Old Port, Back Cove and 295, and East End neighborhoods with Downtown and Bayside.
• Enhancing redevelopment opportunities for underutilized public land adjacent to the corridor.

We had the opportunity to hear author, podcaster, and former Portland resident Sarah Goodyear at Build Maine. Sarah is t...
06/04/2026

We had the opportunity to hear author, podcaster, and former Portland resident Sarah Goodyear at Build Maine. Sarah is the author of Life After Cars. Sarah will be at Orange Bike Brewing today to lead a conversation about the impact of cars on our communities, and how to create pathways in different directions.
Her talk starts at 7pm, but there will be a bike ride before hand at 6pm.

About Sarah's podcast: "The War On Cars reports stories and data about how cars ruin everything, especially in cities. The titles are intentionally provocative, but sometimes that's what is necessary to get folks to question the status quo.

Portland surrendered to cars in the postwar era, and our population base, tax base, downtown retail, neighborhood businesses, city parks, and children's neighborhood life has never recovered. But, this is Maine, the most rural state in America, so our fate is sealed, right? Aren't we condemned to suffer from the carbage infrastructure handed to us 60 years ago?

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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https://backcovebooks.com/events/5183020260604?shem=rimspwouoe

The towns around Portland are growing faster then Portland is.. We've known this for some time. Why does this matter, an...
06/03/2026

The towns around Portland are growing faster then Portland is.. We've known this for some time. Why does this matter, and how is it connected to Franklin Street?

1. Portland is still the employment hub for the region, as well as the prime location for entertainment and commerce. People will come to Portland to work, play, and shop. If these people already lived here they would not need to drive or park. However, suburbanites have few alternatives to cars- polluting the air, congesting highways and local streets, and demanding more parking.
2. Forests and farmlands are being cleared for new housing in surrounding communities. Often new roads utilities, and other infrastructure must also be built. The equivalent housing units could be built in Portland, near goods, services, and existing infrastructure- creating more tightly knit communities that could be less expensive at the macro-level.
3. At the government level, urban areas like Portland are already outnumbered by the political homogeneity of small towns and rural communities. Growing suburban communities have different interests than city centers. As these communities grow, Portland and other cities slowly lose political power- making it harder to get our needs met at the state level.
4. At approximately. 65,000 people, Portland misses out on many federal programs and benefits that are made available to slightly larger cities.

How do we better balance the needs of the people of Portland with the accommodations we make to those who visit Portland for work or play?

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/31/population-trends-in-maine-show-a-shift-to-the-suburbs

We recently received an update about some small, but important improvements made to Portland's Franklin Street.1. The ne...
06/03/2026

We recently received an update about some small, but important improvements made to Portland's Franklin Street.
1. The new installations provide state-of-the-art 'blank-out' signs that activate to provide one of two conditions, dynamically adjusting based on the active traffic signal condition:
"No Turn on Red" Signage: Prohibiting right turns during red signals to prevent collisions with pedestrians crossing the side streets.
"Turning Vehicles Yield to Pedestrians" Signage: Increasing driver awareness and priority for individuals using the crosswalks.
So, we went down to check them out, but were unable to find them. Maybe they needed to be activated by pedestrian activity in order to be visible.
We did reach out to the Department of Public Works to find out more about this signage. We appreciate their attention to the safety of people walking around Franklin St, and hope to learn more soon.

Clearly we need more than signs, but every little bit helps.

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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https://www.portlandmaine.gov/1/Home?contentId=346421b4-5b79-419e-b8c0-b0cf92a5fdcf

Have you checked out Build Maine? FRA is heading to Skowhegan this week for this always fun and informative statewide ga...
06/02/2026

Have you checked out Build Maine? FRA is heading to Skowhegan this week for this always fun and informative statewide gathering. This is Maine's cutting edge gathering of professionals, activist, governmental focused on smart ways to build and strengthen our communities. If you have not been, we recommend that you check it out.

Get ready for Build Maine 2026!
Tues, June 2, and Wed. June 3rd.
185 Water Street, Skowhegan Maine!

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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Earlier in the week we reported on another pedestrian hit on Franklin Street on Thursday, May 21st. We reached out to th...
05/29/2026

Earlier in the week we reported on another pedestrian hit on Franklin Street on Thursday, May 21st. We reached out to the Portland Police Dept. and received the following information from Sargent Benjamin Noyes:

- the incident took place on May 21 at about 7:25pm at Federal and Franklin
- witnesses described an apparently intoxicated individual stumbling into the roadway and being struck by a motorist
- the car was not traveling fast due to glare caused by the setting sun (confirmed by the responding officer)
- the victim was stable and talking when emergency services arrived
- the pedestrian was found at fault

Regardless of the state of the person hit, these crossings should be safe and sanctioned.

What can we do now to make it safer for people crossing Franklin Street?
ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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WSP's Reimagining Franklin Street Transportation report claims to be an analysis. We were hoping it would be. An analysi...
05/29/2026

WSP's Reimagining Franklin Street Transportation report claims to be an analysis. We were hoping it would be. An analysis involves breaking a complex topic into smaller, manageable parts to understand how it works, which this report does an OK job of doing. There are no great insights, but there is nothing big that's been missed either. However, an analysis also involves identifying relationships, and drawing conclusions. We really don't see much of that in this report. That's too bad. WSP is an international firm with lots of talented, smart people, and probably has their finger on the pulse of state of the art urban design (and analysis of such) across the country. You'd think they have a lot to offer when it comes to the analysis.

Our quick top 7 fixes for Franklin Street:
1. Improve Pedestrian Infrastructure and Safety:
- increase the frequency of marked crosswalks (ideally every 300-500 feet, as per urban standards).
-address informal crossing points where desire lines are evident by formalizing these crossings.
2. Add Dedicated Bicycle Facilities
3. Enhance Transit Service and Access
4. Redesign Intersections for Safety:
-The majority of serious and fatal crashes occur at intersections, with several intersections identified as high-risk by MaineDOT and the Vision Zero Action Plan.
-Redesign intersections to reduce conflict points, shorten crossing distances, improve signal timing for pedestrians and cyclists.
5. Address Vehicular Speed and Congestion
- traffic calming measures such as narrower travel lanes and raised crosswalks
- adjust signal timing to manage congestion and improve flow.
6. Reconnect the Street Grid
7. Improve Urban Design:
-encourage mixed use development and active ground-floor uses along Franklin Street to create a multi-use street.

What would you like to see? Tell us about something that could be improved to make your walk or commute better.

We have years of posts here that get into the details of virtually every intersection, stretch of road, and pedestrian crossing. See what we've suggested for almost anywhere along Franklin Street.

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!

The final page of the Reimagining Franklin Street Transportation Analysis includes an interesting graphic that displays ...
05/28/2026

The final page of the Reimagining Franklin Street Transportation Analysis includes an interesting graphic that displays vehicular travel speeds. At first glance, it looks pretty obvious:
1. there are place where traffic usually moves pretty slowly, like coming through the traffic signals at the 295 off ramps, Marginal Way, and Fox&Somerset St.
2. the longer stretches between lights (Fox/Somerset to Cumberland, Congress to Middle) where cars easily reach 30-35 mph, or higher.
3. speeds are generally higher during AM traffic where fewer cars are ahead of southbound traffic, and northbound traffic is lighter .

With a little more digestion of the data, a couple other things jump out:
- cars are regularly exceeding the speed limit at points along Franklin St. (the street is designed for faster traffic)
- cars are reaching speeds of 35+mph in as little as 500 feet from intersections like Fox/Somerset
- this same traffic is speeding only to have to slow down or stop at the next traffic light
- the absence of cross streets at Lancaster Oxford, Federal, and Newbury St. creates the conditions for faster driving
- backed up traffic during PM travel times is directly related to the capacity of the Exit 7 on ramps and the ability for 295 to absorb incoming traffic. This is a highway issue, pushed onto the city street network. The urban street network has been severely disrupted over the past 50 years to try to address a highway problem.

We do wonder why the WSP consultant team, with their wealth of professional expertise and international experience, are not offering any analysis of this data. What lessons should we be taking from this information? What solutions have they seen other communities use to address similar challenges and opportunities?

What questions do you have about this data?

This past weekend we learned that another pedestrian had been hit on Portland's Franklin Street. FRA received this info...
05/27/2026

This past weekend we learned that another pedestrian had been hit on Portland's Franklin Street. FRA received this information from someone who lives near the site of the accident. Reportedly, the person was crossing Franklin at the footpath that connects the bisected Federal Street, and was taken to the hospital. The driver did stop. We have no further information at this time, but hope this person is not seriously injured.
FRA has contacted the Portland Police Dept. to learn more about this incident.
Once again, this highlights the need for safe, sanctioned crossings at streets such as Federal and Oxford St.

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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Last week Greater Portland Landmarks held their last transportation forum in their wonderful series. These have been fun...
05/22/2026

Last week Greater Portland Landmarks held their last transportation forum in their wonderful series. These have been fun and informative, both looking back to help explain why Portland is the wy it is today, and looking forward to the opportunities and cghallenges ahead. last weeks presentation include GPCOG's Kristina Egan, Portland Planning Director Kevin Kraft, and Bicycle Coalition of Maine's Andrew Zarro.
We caught up with Kevin after the event and learned a little bit about the status of the project.
- The WSP consultant team had recently completed the traffic modeling for their prefered draft design.
- The city had just recieved this and were pleased with how it showed traffic functioning along the corridor.
- They beleived that it satisfied maine DOT's requirements, such as preventing back ups onto the I295 mainline. (The public has never been informed of Maine DOT's exact concerns).
- The city was sending this modeling to Maine DOT for their review, and hopefully, approval.
On other occasions Kevin has said that the city is advocating for full reconnections of Lancaster, Oxfrod, and Federal St, as well as a partial reconnection at Newbury. This algins with FRA's goals for the reconnection of cross streets, and we are grateful for the city's advancement of these. We are hopeful that these are all included in the WSP draft final design.

We will now have to see how Maine DOT responds to this. How can we, the public, engage in this process or take action to ensure that Maine DOT, and the city understand what our expectations are for our future Franklin St?

Kevin also shared that a public meeting for feedback on the proposed Franklin Street redesign would be in late June or early July.
When would youlike to see such a meeting?

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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The Transportation report for Portland's Franklin St also includes an assessmsnt of the quality of the bicycle infrastru...
05/22/2026

The Transportation report for Portland's Franklin St also includes an assessmsnt of the quality of the bicycle infrastructure and experience. The Level of Service (LOS) grade is an F throughout the entire corridor. The Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) score is a 3 on a scale of 1-4, deemed moderately stressful for skilled cyclists.
Nothing surprising there.

What would you like to see for cyclists along Franklin St?
How should the intersections be designed for cyclists?
How can these facilities be best integrated into the trail network?

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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