Franklin Street Committee — Portland, ME
Date: 2015-04-01

Franklin	  Street	  Study	  Phase	  II	  

 Public	  Advisory	  Committee	  Meeting	  	  

 April	  1,	  2015	  

 Room	  24,	  Portland	  City	  Hall	  

	  

Committee	  Members:	  Markos	  Miller,	  Kevin	  Donoghue,	  co-­‐chairs;	  Christian	  MilNeil,	  Jamie	  
Parker,	  Jon	  Graback,	  Elizabeth	  Hoglund,	  Sally	  Oldham,	  Alex	  Landry,	  Bill	  Hall,	  Steve	  Hewins,	  Bob	  
Stevens,	  Hank	  Berg,	  Chris	  O’Neil,	  Ethan	  Boxer-­‐Macomber	  

Staff:	  Mike	  Bobinsky	  and	  Jeremiah	  Bartlett,	  City	  of	  Portland	  Public	  Services;	  Alex	  Jaegerman,	  
City	  of	  Portland	  Planning	  Department;	  Darryl	  Belz,	  MaineDOT;	  Carl	  Eppich,	  PACTS;	  Catherine	  
Offenberg	  and	  Duncan	  Allen,	  IBI	  Group;	  Don	  Ettinger	  and	  Randy	  Dunton,	  Gorrill-­‐Palmer;	  Carol	  
Morris	  and	  Scott	  Hastings,	  Morris	  Communications	  

The	  meeting	  started	  at	  6:04	  pm.	  

Mike	  Bobinsky,	  Director	  of	  Public	  Services	  for	  the	  City	  of	  Portland,	  opened	  the	  meeting.	  	  He	  
thanked	  the	  Public	  Advisory	  Committee	  (PAC)	  for	  their	  hard	  work	  to	  get	  the	  project	  to	  this	  
stage	  and	  their	  flexibility	  during	  the	  process.	  	  

Jeremiah	  Bartlett,	  Transportation	  Systems	  Engineer	  for	  the	  City	  of	  Portland,	  noted	  that	  he	  had	  
been	  working	  on	  Franklin	  Street	  since	  his	  early	  consultant	  days	  in	  2002	  and	  he	  felt	  it	  was	  very	  
exciting	  to	  see	  how	  far	  the	  project	  had	  come	  during	  that	  time.	  	  

Carol	  Morris,	  Morris	  Communications,	  took	  the	  floor	  and	  reviewed	  the	  agenda	  for	  the	  meeting.	  	  
She	  asked	  that	  comments	  be	  kept	  concise	  so	  that	  everyone	  would	  have	  time	  to	  speak.	  	  She	  also	  
noted	  that	  it	  was	  a	  PAC	  meeting	  and	  not	  a	  public	  meeting	  and	  asked	  any	  members	  of	  the	  public	  
to	  either	  make	  comments	  on	  the	  available	  flip	  charts,	  or	  come	  talk	  to	  the	  team	  individually	  
after	  the	  meeting	  if	  they	  had	  input	  they	  would	  like	  to	  give.	  	  

Markos	  Miller,	  co-­‐chair	  of	  the	  PAC,	  thanked	  everyone	  for	  coming.	  	  He	  said	  that	  a	  lot	  of	  work	  
had	  gone	  into	  finding	  a	  solution	  that	  was	  acceptable	  to	  everyone.	  	  He	  noted	  that	  there	  are	  
compromises	  and	  it	  would	  not	  be	  the	  perfect	  road	  for	  any	  one	  person.	  	  He	  hoped	  that	  everyone	  
could	  see	  enough	  elements	  that	  they	  like	  in	  tonight’s	  presented	  version	  so	  that	  they	  would	  be	  
able	  to	  support	  it	  moving	  forward.	  	  

Cathy	  Offenberg,	  IBI	  Group,	  took	  the	  floor	  and	  began	  the	  presentation	  of	  the	  final	  
recommendations.	  There	  were	  six	  key	  themes:	  Reconnections,	  Streetscapes,	  Bike/Ped,	  
Gateways,	  Restoring	  Lincoln	  Park,	  and	  Nodal	  Development.	  	  The	  road	  design	  had	  to	  work	  with	  
traffic	  capacity	  needs,	  including	  agreements	  with	  the	  MaineDOT	  and	  the	  Federal	  Highway	  
Authority	  (FHWA)	  in	  regards	  to	  Interstate	  295	  off-­‐ramp	  traffic	  and	  vehicle	  Level	  of	  Service.	  	  A	  
graphic	  was	  shown	  to	  illustrate	  that	  traffic	  volumes	  were	  highest	  at	  Marginal	  Way	  and	  
continuously	  and	  significantly	  decreased	  as	  one	  progressed	  along	  the	  corridor	  towards	  
Commercial	  Street.	  	  The	  consulting	  team	  felt	  that	  the	  proposal	  did	  a	  good	  job	  of	  balancing	  the	  
different	  modes	  of	  travel.	  	  

Carol	  asked	  for	  any	  questions	  about	  the	  overall	  plan	  before	  the	  presentation	  moved	  on	  to	  four	  
specific	  focus	  areas	  along	  the	  corridor.	  	  

Markos	  asked	  if	  the	  plan	  met	  the	  minimum	  MaineDOT	  and	  FHWA	  requirement	  for	  no	  decreases	  
in	  vehicle	  level	  of	  service	  or	  if	  there	  were	  improvements	  in	  level	  of	  service.	  	  	  

Cathy	  responded	  that	  in	  some	  areas	  the	  recommendations	  are	  projected	  to	  improve	  on	  the	  
vehicle	  level	  of	  service	  and	  noted	  that	  the	  overall	  travel	  time	  is	  also	  lowered	  under	  the	  
proposal.	  

A	  committee	  member	  commented	  that	  they	  had	  been	  surprised	  but	  pleased	  to	  see	  that	  despite	  
a	  lowered	  speed	  limit,	  the	  travel	  time	  for	  driving	  the	  length	  of	  Franklin	  Street	  had	  actually	  gone	  
down.	  

Cathy	  moved	  on	  to	  look	  at	  areas	  of	  the	  corridor	  in	  more	  detail	  starting	  with	  the	  intersection	  of	  
Franklin	  and	  Commercial.	  	  The	  team	  is	  proposing	  a	  single-­‐lane	  roundabout	  for	  this	  intersection.	  	  
They	  found	  that	  it	  best	  served	  the	  needs	  of	  the	  intersection,	  including	  the	  traffic	  volumes	  and	  
large	  numbers	  of	  summer	  pedestrians.	  	  It	  also	  allowed	  for	  a	  visual	  and	  physical	  gateway	  and	  
opened	  up	  room	  for	  improved	  sidewalk	  facilities.	  	  Cyclists	  would	  have	  their	  choice	  of	  operating	  
as	  vehicles	  through	  the	  intersection	  or	  using	  a	  bike	  path	  alongside	  the	  pedestrians.	  It	  was	  also	  
noted	  that	  there	  would	  be	  more	  parking	  spaces	  along	  Franklin	  than	  discussed	  at	  the	  previous	  
PAC	  meeting.	  Two	  quick	  animated	  clips	  were	  shown	  to	  demonstrate	  how	  the	  roundabout	  could	  
safely	  and	  efficiently	  handle	  vehicles	  and	  pedestrians.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  they	  liked	  the	  roundabout	  from	  a	  vehicular	  standpoint	  but	  were	  
worried	  about	  pedestrians.	  	  In	  particular	  they	  were	  concerned	  that	  when	  a	  ferry	  or	  cruise	  ship	  
docks	  at	  the	  pier	  large	  volumes	  of	  pedestrians	  are	  let	  out	  at	  once	  and	  that	  may	  overload	  the	  
intersection.	  	  

Cathy	  responded	  that	  roundabouts	  are	  useful	  in	  handling	  low	  volume	  vehicle	  conditions	  as	  they	  
allow	  for	  constant	  flow	  rather	  than	  one	  mode	  stopping	  for	  the	  other.	  She	  explained	  that	  this	  
reduces	  vehicle	  delay	  and,	  from	  the	  standpoint	  of	  pedestrian	  safety,	  roundabouts	  have	  traffic	  
calming	  effects	  by	  reducing	  vehicle	  speed.	  
Jeremiah	  added	  that	  even	  in	  a	  standard	  intersection,	  turning	  motions	  mean	  that	  there	  would	  
always	  be	  pedestrian	  conflict	  points.	  	  Roundabouts	  keep	  both	  pedestrians	  and	  motorists	  
focused	  on	  one	  conflict	  at	  a	  time.	  	  The	  slow	  design	  speed	  also	  helps	  to	  make	  sure	  that	  people	  
are	  moving	  slowly	  and	  are	  prepared	  for	  the	  intersection.	  	  	  The	  team	  has	  been	  in	  contact	  with	  
the	  city's	  waterfront	  coordinator,	  Bill	  Needelman,	  who	  is	  very	  aware	  of	  the	  challenges	  here	  and	  
believes	  the	  roundabout	  concept	  has	  the	  most	  potential	  for	  handling	  these	  conflicts.	  Bill	  is	  
encouraging	  further	  review	  with	  cruise	  ship	  operations	  folks	  as	  the	  team	  works	  through	  the	  
details	  of	  final	  design.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  noted	  that	  it	  was	  not	  just	  the	  safety	  impacts	  of	  the	  large	  volumes	  of	  
pedestrians	  but	  also	  the	  potential	  for	  traffic	  backups.	  	  

Jeremiah	  replied	  that	  backups	  would	  be	  a	  concern	  in	  any	  type	  of	  intersection	  given	  the	  volumes	  
in	  question.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  noted	  that	  they	  had	  originally	  been	  very	  skeptical	  of	  a	  roundabout	  but	  
had	  completely	  come	  around	  to	  the	  idea.	  	  They	  felt	  that	  not	  only	  would	  it	  function	  but	  that	  it	  
would	  greatly	  improve	  the	  look	  and	  feel	  of	  the	  area.	  	  

There	  was	  some	  discussion	  clarifying	  what	  the	  bike	  facilities	  would	  be	  in	  the	  roundabout.	  	  
Green	  areas	  on	  the	  map	  around	  three	  sides	  of	  the	  roundabout	  indicate	  portions	  of	  the	  sidewalk	  
(separated	  from	  the	  travel	  lane	  by	  a	  curb)	  that	  would	  be	  a	  designated	  bike	  lane	  striped	  
separately	  from	  the	  pedestrian	  area.	  	  Commercial	  Street	  itself	  would	  not	  have	  bike	  lanes	  but	  
could	  have	  sharrows	  (Share	  the	  Road	  striping)	  if	  the	  city	  were	  so	  inclined.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  asked	  if	  the	  crosswalks	  could	  be	  moved	  in	  toward	  the	  roundabout.	  	  

Jeremiah	  responded	  that	  the	  crosswalks	  were	  set	  back	  one	  car	  length	  from	  the	  merge	  into	  the	  
roundabout	  to	  allow	  motorists	  to	  focus	  on	  one	  conflict	  point	  at	  a	  time.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  they	  felt	  that	  the	  lanes	  exiting	  the	  roundabout	  could	  be	  narrowed	  
somewhat.	  	  They	  also	  felt	  that	  the	  bike	  lanes	  on	  the	  sidewalk	  around	  the	  roundabout	  could	  lead	  
to	  conflicts	  at	  the	  crosswalks.	  	  Cathy	  pointed	  out	  that	  the	  traffic	  speed	  through	  the	  roundabout	  
would	  be	  slow	  enough	  that	  even	  less	  confident	  riders	  could	  navigate	  it	  in	  the	  road.	  	  

Don	  Ettinger,	  Gorrill	  Palmer,	  noted	  that	  this	  was	  a	  conceptual	  plan	  of	  a	  single-­‐lane	  roundabout	  
and	  that	  many	  of	  the	  details	  being	  discussed	  would	  be	  ironed	  out	  in	  the	  design	  phase.	  	  

There	  was	  some	  discussion	  further	  explaining	  how	  the	  bike	  facilities	  worked.	  	  It	  was	  noted	  that	  
the	  one	  corner	  without	  the	  bike	  path	  did	  not	  have	  them	  due	  to	  space	  constraints.	  In	  the	  design	  
phase,	  it	  might	  be	  possible	  to	  shift	  the	  intersection	  to	  fix	  this.	  
Cathy	  moved	  on	  to	  present	  the	  section	  covering	  Lincoln	  Park	  and	  the	  reconnection	  of	  Federal	  
Street.	  	  Lincoln	  Park	  was	  proposed	  to	  be	  expanded	  between	  62	  to	  78	  feet.	  	  This	  would	  bring	  the	  
park	  to	  91%	  of	  its	  original	  size,	  restoring	  65%	  of	  the	  area	  lost.	  

Federal	  Street	  would	  have	  a	  full	  reconnection.	  	  	  There	  would	  be	  no	  crosswalk	  on	  the	  north	  side	  
of	  Federal	  Street	  due	  to	  safety	  issues	  with	  turning	  vehicles.	  	  The	  sidewalk	  between	  the	  park	  and	  
Federal	  Street	  would	  be	  expanded	  to	  facilitate	  use.	  	  A	  development	  lot	  would	  be	  opened	  up	  
between	  the	  courthouse	  and	  Franklin	  Street.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  asked	  if	  it	  would	  make	  sense	  to	  widen	  Franklin	  on	  the	  north	  side	  of	  
Federal	  slightly	  to	  have	  a	  full	  two	  lanes	  coming	  out	  of	  the	  intersection.	  	  	  

Don	  Ettinger	  said	  that	  because	  there	  was	  only	  one	  lane	  going	  into	  the	  intersection	  from	  the	  
south,	  the	  new	  configuration	  should	  work	  fine.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  they	  found	  many	  issues	  with	  the	  Federal	  Street	  intersection	  and	  
hoped	  that	  it	  could	  be	  looked	  at	  more	  closely	  in	  the	  design	  phase.	  	  They	  very	  much	  wanted	  to	  
see	  the	  crosswalk	  on	  the	  north	  side	  of	  Federal	  and	  felt	  that	  people	  would	  cross	  there	  whether	  
there	  was	  a	  crosswalk	  or	  not.	  	  They	  also	  felt	  that	  the	  crosswalks	  should	  be	  closer	  to	  the	  
intersection	  than	  shown.	  	  That	  said,	  they	  noted	  they	  were	  very	  happy	  to	  see	  a	  full	  reconnection	  
of	  Federal	  Street.	  	  

A	  second	  committee	  member	  agreed	  that	  the	  intersection	  needs	  all	  four	  crosswalks,	  saying	  that	  
they	  could	  not	  accept	  the	  idea	  that	  fewer	  crosswalks	  would	  make	  things	  safer.	  	  

Councilor	  Kevin	  Donoghue	  also	  was	  in	  favor	  of	  having	  all	  four	  crosswalks.	  	  He	  noted	  that	  the	  
internal	  paths	  in	  the	  park	  would	  bring	  people	  to	  that	  corner	  and	  they	  would	  then	  want	  to	  cross	  
the	  street.	  	  	  

Markos	  Miller	  said	  that	  he	  had	  previously	  mentioned	  to	  the	  consultant	  team	  that	  the	  crosswalk	  
in	  question	  was	  desirable.	  	  He	  was	  confident	  that	  the	  team	  would	  look	  at	  it	  much	  more	  closely	  
in	  the	  design	  phase.	  	  

Three	  additional	  committee	  members	  also	  voiced	  opinions	  in	  favor	  of	  the	  missing	  crosswalk.	  	  

Cathy	  then	  moved	  on	  to	  look	  at	  the	  area	  surrounding	  the	  proposed	  reconnection	  of	  Oxford	  
Street.	  	  Oxford	  Street	  would	  be	  right-­‐in	  right-­‐out	  on	  both	  sides	  of	  Franklin	  and	  parallel	  bike	  and	  
pedestrian	  crosswalks	  would	  allow	  bicyclists	  and	  pedestrians	  to	  cross.	  	  A	  short	  separated	  cycle	  
track	  would	  lead	  from	  Boyd	  Street	  to	  the	  bike	  crossing.	  	  Lancaster	  Street	  would	  not	  have	  any	  
through	  connection.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  they	  were	  very	  glad	  to	  see	  this	  connection	  [at	  Oxford	  Street].	  	  
Councilor	  Donoghue	  agreed	  and	  added	  that	  if	  there	  was	  to	  only	  be	  a	  crosswalk	  on	  one	  side,	  the	  
team	  had	  picked	  the	  better	  side.	  	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  Oxford	  was	  an	  important	  connection	  to	  make	  because	  the	  road	  
runs	  the	  full	  length	  of	  the	  peninsula.	  	  They	  were	  opposed	  to	  the	  short	  bit	  of	  cycle	  track	  feeling	  
that	  it	  was	  unnecessary	  and	  at	  odds	  with	  how	  bikes	  would	  use	  the	  surrounding	  streets.	  	  They	  
then	  asked	  what	  the	  lane	  widths	  of	  Oxford	  Street	  would	  be	  and	  what	  the	  design	  speed	  of	  
Franklin	  Street	  would	  be.	  	  

Cathy	  responded	  that	  that	  they	  would	  be	  10-­‐foot	  lanes.	  

Carol	  added	  that	  the	  design	  speed	  was	  proposed	  to	  be	  25	  mph.	  	  This	  would	  need	  approval	  from	  
MaineDOT	  but	  in	  preliminary	  talks	  they	  had	  shown	  openness	  to	  looking	  at	  the	  change.	  	  

Don	  Ettinger	  added	  that	  the	  posted	  speed	  would	  have	  to	  work	  with	  the	  design	  speed.	  

Councilor	  Donoghue	  said	  that	  he	  liked	  the	  proposed	  bike	  lanes	  on	  Franklin	  but	  was	  concerned	  
with	  how	  they	  would	  work	  with	  the	  hoped-­‐for	  bus	  service.	  	  

Randy	  Dunton,	  Gorrill	  Palmer,	  replied	  that	  there	  were	  many	  options	  as	  to	  how	  that	  could	  be	  
handled	  in	  the	  design	  phase.	  	  In	  many	  cities	  buses	  do	  cross	  into	  bike	  lanes	  at	  stops.	  	  It	  is	  
possible	  to	  design	  to	  avoid	  this	  but	  they	  would	  significantly	  add	  to	  the	  width	  of	  the	  corridor	  and	  
were	  generally	  only	  warranted	  in	  areas	  of	  high	  bus	  traffic.	  	  

Carol	  added	  that	  the	  team	  had	  been	  in	  communication	  with	  METRO	  and	  that	  they	  would	  be	  
included	  when	  this	  was	  looked	  at	  in	  the	  design	  phase.	  	  

Don	  Ettinger	  noted	  that	  the	  bike	  lanes	  and	  the	  buffer	  were	  8	  feet	  together	  and	  that	  this	  was	  
about	  the	  width	  of	  a	  bus.	  

A	  committee	  member	  noted	  that	  on	  North	  Deering	  Street	  there	  was	  bus	  service	  and	  a	  buffered	  
bike	  lane	  and	  it	  worked	  quite	  well.	  	  They	  were	  more	  comfortable	  dealing	  with	  bus	  drivers	  who	  
drive	  for	  a	  living	  than	  with	  general	  traffic.	  	  He	  went	  on	  to	  add	  that	  the	  Portland	  Housing	  
Authority	  had	  plans	  for	  a	  building	  at	  Lancaster	  Street	  and	  that	  there	  should	  be	  a	  crossing	  there	  
to	  accommodate	  the	  existing	  residents	  and	  the	  potential	  for	  this	  future	  building.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  there	  were	  happy	  to	  see	  the	  road	  pushed	  east	  in	  this	  section.	  	  
They	  would	  like	  to	  see	  buildings	  built	  up	  to	  the	  existing	  height	  limits	  for	  the	  area.	  	  They	  also	  
liked	  seeing	  the	  connection	  of	  Wilmot	  Street	  between	  Congress	  and	  Cumberland.	  	  	  They	  
reiterated	  that	  crosswalks	  should	  be	  moved	  closer	  to	  the	  intersections	  and	  pointed	  out	  the	  
crosswalk	  on	  the	  south	  side	  of	  Cumberland	  Street	  was	  practically	  a	  mid-­‐block	  crossing.	  	  They	  
also	  felt	  that	  Lancaster	  Street	  should	  have	  a	  bike/ped	  crossing	  and	  disagreed	  with	  the	  
consultant’s	  earlier	  statement	  that	  drivers	  would	  not	  respect	  two	  mid-­‐block	  crossings	  in	  this	  
stretch	  of	  road.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  stated	  that	  as	  a	  commuter	  they	  felt	  that	  too	  many	  crossings	  would	  be	  a	  
problem	  for	  traffic	  flow	  and	  that	  they	  felt	  the	  presented	  option	  was	  a	  good	  compromise.	  	  

Markos	  stated	  that	  he	  also	  would	  like	  to	  see	  a	  crossing	  at	  Lancaster	  and	  that	  he	  did	  not	  like	  the	  
cycle	  track	  at	  Oxford.	  	  He	  asked	  why	  this	  stretch	  of	  Franklin	  Street	  had	  a	  median	  throughout.	  	  

Cathy	  responded	  that	  the	  median	  was	  reserving	  space	  for	  an	  eventual	  left	  turn	  lane	  at	  Oxford	  
Street	  so	  that	  the	  design	  would	  not	  preclude	  a	  full	  reconnection	  there.	  	  

Jeremiah	  added	  that	  it	  also	  allowed	  for	  a	  pedestrian	  refuge	  should	  a	  Lancaster	  pedestrian	  
crossing	  be	  added.	  	  

Markos	  also	  noted	  that	  he	  would	  like	  to	  see	  buildings	  along	  this	  stretch	  and	  did	  not	  like	  seeing	  
road	  set	  aside	  for	  storm	  water	  usage	  instead.	  	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  noted	  that	  they	  would	  be	  asked	  to	  show	  support	  for	  this	  proposal	  and	  if	  
there	  was	  any	  provision	  to	  reflect	  the	  tweaks	  the	  committee	  wished	  to	  see.	  	  

Carol	  responded	  that	  the	  team	  was	  keeping	  track	  of	  the	  points	  being	  raised	  and	  would	  be	  trying	  
to	  address	  them	  before	  the	  report	  became	  final.	  If	  not	  addressed,	  they	  would	  be	  clearly	  
identified	  in	  the	  final	  report,	  along	  with	  an	  explanation.	  She	  added	  that	  each	  member	  would	  
have	  the	  opportunity	  to	  state	  their	  position	  later	  in	  the	  meeting	  and	  should	  note	  if	  any	  
particular	  point	  would	  be	  a	  deal	  breaker	  rather	  than	  a	  nice	  thing	  to	  have.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  while	  this	  wasn't	  a	  perfect	  solution	  and	  a	  lot	  of	  people	  were	  not	  
necessarily	  here	  to	  voice	  their	  views,	  they	  would	  be	  voting	  in	  favor	  of	  this	  plan.	  	  It	  was	  a	  good	  
compromise	  and	  represented	  good	  work.	  	  Details	  could	  be	  worked	  out	  later.	  	  

Cathy	  moved	  on	  to	  present	  recommendations	  for	  the	  Marginal	  Way	  end	  of	  the	  street.	  	  The	  
intersection	  treatment	  was	  changed	  from	  the	  previous	  PAC	  meeting,	  and	  she	  hoped	  that	  they	  
would	  agree	  it	  was	  for	  the	  better.	  	  The	  plan	  also	  showed	  much	  more	  of	  the	  place	  making	  
elements	  they	  were	  recommending.	  	  The	  team	  envisions	  making	  this	  a	  gateway	  entrance	  to	  the	  
city.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  felt	  that	  it	  was	  a	  mistake	  to	  make	  westbound	  Marginal	  Way	  traffic's	  only	  
option	  to	  be	  getting	  onto	  I-­‐295.	  	  The	  Bayside	  neighborhood	  is	  developing	  quickly	  and	  this	  would	  
be	  a	  restriction,	  one	  that	  would	  only	  be	  needed	  at	  peak	  traffic	  times.	  	  It	  would	  also	  significantly	  
complicate	  things	  for	  bicyclists.	  	  
A	  representative	  of	  Portland	  Trails	  said	  that	  they	  were	  very	  happy	  with	  the	  improved	  crossing	  
and	  felt	  that	  it	  would	  better	  serve	  the	  Bayside	  Trail.	  	  The	  wide	  crosswalk	  shortened	  the	  crossing	  
distance	  and	  gave	  more	  room	  for	  a	  mix	  of	  bike	  and	  pedestrian	  users.	  	  They	  appreciated	  the	  
work	  that	  had	  been	  done.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  asked	  if	  it	  was	  beyond	  the	  scope	  of	  the	  project	  to	  consider	  moving	  the	  
northbound	  off	  ramp	  to	  change	  the	  turning	  restrictions.	  

Randy	  Dunton	  replied	  that	  the	  team	  had	  looked	  at	  a	  number	  of	  different	  options	  for	  the	  off	  
ramp	  but	  did	  not	  find	  any	  that	  were	  feasible.	  	  In	  particular	  having	  a	  "u-­‐turn"	  lane	  to	  Marginal	  
did	  not	  allow	  space	  for	  trucks	  to	  make	  the	  turn.	  	  

Councilor	  Donoghue	  said	  that	  he	  was	  impressed	  with	  how	  the	  crossing	  had	  been	  moved	  closer	  
to	  the	  Bayside	  Trail	  and	  in	  this	  configuration	  he	  could	  even	  maybe	  see	  using	  the	  trail.	  	  However	  
he	  still	  felt	  that	  Marginal	  Way	  itself	  was	  a	  better	  bike	  route	  and	  although	  he	  would	  accept	  this	  
compromise,	  he	  felt	  a	  two-­‐way	  cycle	  track	  on	  the	  south	  side	  of	  Marginal	  was	  required	  to	  make	  
up	  for	  the	  blocked	  westbound	  lane.	  	  

Markos	  said	  that	  a	  lot	  had	  been	  gained	  here	  and	  that	  the	  outcome	  could	  have	  been	  a	  lot	  worse.	  	  
He	  was	  also	  concerned	  about	  restricting	  westbound	  Marginal	  Way	  traffic.	  	  He	  felt	  this	  was	  the	  
best	  option	  though,	  as	  all	  other	  options	  involved	  adding	  more	  lanes	  and	  that	  this	  was	  more	  
reversible.	  

Another	  committee	  member	  agreed	  that	  they	  supported	  this	  as	  an	  improvement	  over	  the	  past	  
options	  but	  that	  they	  were	  not	  100%	  happy	  with	  it.	  	  	  	  

At	  this	  point	  Carol	  asked	  PAC	  members	  to	  give	  their	  opinions	  and	  comments	  on	  the	  plan.	  	  She	  
asked	  that	  each	  person	  say	  if	  they	  supported	  the	  overall	  plan	  and	  if	  they	  had	  any	  elements	  that	  
if	  they	  went	  unfixed	  it	  would	  result	  in	  their	  withholding	  or	  revoking	  support.	  	  

The	  first	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  it	  had	  been	  an	  interesting	  process	  being	  a	  part	  of	  the	  
PAC.	  	  He	  was	  a	  little	  worried	  about	  the	  narrowing	  of	  Franklin	  at	  the	  Commercial	  Street	  end	  and	  
felt	  the	  growth	  assumptions	  were	  too	  conservative.	  	  He	  did	  like	  the	  roundabout	  there	  and	  felt	  
that	  it	  would	  help	  to	  accommodate	  the	  extra	  growth.	  	  Overall	  he	  felt	  the	  plan	  was	  a	  good	  
compromise	  and	  supported	  it.	  

The	  next	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  she	  used	  Franklin	  frequently	  as	  an	  off-­‐peninsula	  
resident.	  	  In	  talking	  to	  other	  off-­‐peninsula	  people	  about	  Franklin,	  the	  most	  common	  response	  
was	  "What's	  wrong	  with	  it?”	  	  But	  they	  felt	  that	  while	  the	  road	  served	  the	  purpose	  it	  was	  built	  
for,	  it	  might	  be	  time	  for	  a	  new	  purpose.	  	  She	  liked	  leaving	  the	  crossing	  at	  Lancaster	  off	  the	  
proposal	  for	  now	  but	  retaining	  the	  option	  to	  connect	  there	  in	  the	  future.	  	  The	  proposal	  was	  not	  
everything	  she	  wanted	  but	  was	  a	  good	  compromise	  and	  she	  would	  support	  it.	  	  

The	  third	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  he	  was	  good	  with	  the	  proposal,	  though	  he	  was	  
concerned	  about	  the	  roundabout	  handling	  high-­‐volume	  pedestrian	  events.	  

The	  next	  committee	  member	  was	  comfortable	  with	  the	  plan	  as	  a	  whole	  and	  felt	  that	  it	  struck	  a	  
good	  balance	  between	  peninsula	  residents	  and	  those	  driving	  in.	  	  In	  general	  he	  was	  content	  with	  
everything,	  even	  the	  Marginal	  Way	  intersection,	  though	  they	  would	  like	  to	  see	  the	  westbound	  
Marginal	  way	  movement	  unrestricted.	  	  He	  understood	  why	  it	  was	  restricted,	  however,	  and	  
agreed	  that	  there	  did	  not	  seem	  to	  be	  a	  better	  solution	  at	  this	  time.	  	  

The	  fifth	  committee	  member	  agreed	  with	  much	  that	  had	  been	  said.	  	  It	  had	  been	  a	  long	  process	  
and	  a	  lot	  of	  work	  had	  been	  done	  to	  include	  as	  many	  people	  as	  possible	  over	  the	  years.	  	  He	  felt	  
that	  the	  design	  presented	  reflected	  all	  of	  the	  concerns	  he	  had	  heard.	  	  Although	  there	  were	  still	  
some	  minor	  issues,	  he	  was	  confident	  they	  could	  be	  worked	  out	  in	  the	  design	  phase.	  	  He	  wanted	  
to	  see	  pedestrian	  crossings	  on	  the	  north	  side	  of	  Federal	  Street	  and	  at	  Lancaster	  Street.	  	  

Jeremiah	  was	  excited	  about	  the	  proposal.	  	  The	  city	  had	  long	  been	  trying	  to	  find	  ways	  to	  connect	  
across	  Franklin	  and	  this	  would	  let	  that	  happen.	  	  There	  were	  still	  discussions	  to	  be	  held	  but	  he	  
felt	  that	  they	  had	  a	  good	  relationship	  with	  all	  parties	  including	  MaineDOT	  and	  felt	  that	  all	  issues	  
could	  be	  addressed.	  	  	  

Markos	  said	  that	  he	  looked	  forward	  to	  supporting	  this	  plan.	  	  It	  was	  not	  his	  dream	  road	  but	  he	  
felt	  it	  was	  a	  good	  compromise.	  	  He	  liked	  the	  crossing	  at	  Marginal	  Way	  and	  the	  fact	  the	  
intersection	  would	  not	  be	  widened.	  	  The	  plan	  would	  allow	  for	  more	  bike/ped	  crossings	  and	  for	  
more	  development.	  	  He	  felt	  that	  MaineDOT	  had	  been	  cooperative	  and	  that	  they	  would	  be	  a	  
good	  partner	  going	  forward.	  	  Everyone	  involved	  had	  been	  working	  on	  this	  very	  hard	  and	  it	  
showed.	  	  

Councilor	  Donoghue	  thought	  the	  process	  has	  been	  good	  over	  the	  long	  history	  of	  the	  project	  
and	  it	  has	  had	  far-­‐reaching	  impacts	  that	  improved	  the	  city's	  processes	  across	  the	  board.	  	  A	  lot	  
of	  good	  things	  have	  come	  together	  all	  at	  once	  to	  create	  this	  plan.	  	  He	  would	  now	  be	  looking	  
toward	  how	  the	  project	  will	  be	  funded.	  He	  felt	  the	  biggest	  thing	  to	  work	  on	  was	  making	  sure	  
the	  Federal	  Street	  connection	  happened	  in	  the	  best	  way	  it	  could.	  

A	  representative	  of	  Portland	  Landmarks	  said	  that	  she	  felt	  the	  process	  had	  been	  a	  good	  one	  and	  
that	  they	  had	  enjoyed	  being	  a	  part	  of	  it.	  	  She	  appreciated	  Markos'	  leadership	  and	  everyone's	  
commitment	  to	  working	  together	  and	  learning.	  	  She	  loved	  the	  Lincoln	  Park	  expansion.	  	  The	  Park	  
and	  the	  Federal	  Street	  reconnection	  were	  the	  biggest	  issues	  for	  Portland	  Landmarks	  and	  they	  
are	  happy	  to	  see	  them	  both	  included.	  	  She	  also	  liked	  the	  25	  mph	  design	  speed.	  	  
The	  next	  committee	  member	  felt	  that	  the	  plan	  looked	  great.	  	  He	  was	  very	  happy	  with	  the	  
Marginal	  Way	  intersection	  compared	  to	  what	  had	  originally	  been	  presented.	  	  The	  biggest	  
complaint	  for	  him,	  as	  a	  representative	  of	  East	  Bayside,	  was	  the	  lack	  of	  crossing	  at	  Lancaster	  
Street.	  	  

The	  next	  committee	  member	  said	  that	  he	  supports	  the	  plan	  that	  was	  presented	  and	  felt	  that	  it	  
would	  be	  a	  large	  gain	  on	  what	  exists.	  	  He	  was	  disappointed	  about	  the	  lack	  of	  crossing	  at	  
Lancaster	  Street.	  	  He	  was	  surprised	  at	  just	  how	  much	  he	  liked	  the	  crossing	  treatment	  at	  
Marginal	  Way	  and	  felt	  that	  was	  a	  big	  boost	  to	  their	  support.	  	  Pedestrian	  concerns	  were	  a	  big	  
issue	  given	  how	  many	  people	  that	  live	  in	  the	  area	  rely	  on	  walking	  to	  get	  around.	  	  	  

The	  twelfth	  committee	  member	  said	  he	  agreed	  with	  much	  that	  had	  been	  said	  and	  that	  he	  
supported	  the	  proposal.	  	  He	  appreciated	  the	  efforts	  of	  city	  staff,	  the	  consulting	  team,	  and	  
Markos	  in	  making	  this	  happen.	  	  The	  issues	  that	  still	  existed	  could	  be	  addressed	  in	  the	  design	  
phase	  before	  anything	  was	  actually	  slated	  to	  be	  built.	  	  The	  new	  road	  would	  be	  something	  to	  be	  
proud	  of	  and	  would	  be	  more	  balanced	  between	  modes.	  	  The	  most	  serious	  concern	  left	  was	  the	  
design	  and	  placement	  of	  crosswalks	  at	  intersections.	  	  

The	  next	  committee	  member	  agreed	  that	  the	  end	  result	  was	  something	  to	  be	  proud	  of	  even	  if	  
there	  were	  still	  some	  things	  to	  be	  worked	  out.	  He	  is	  a	  Peaks	  Island	  resident	  and	  noted	  that	  the	  
islanders	  had	  been	  very	  skeptical	  of	  a	  roundabout	  at	  Commercial	  but	  he	  felt	  that	  some	  were	  
coming	  around	  to	  it.	  	  As	  a	  long	  time	  bike	  commuter,	  he	  was	  in	  favor	  of	  the	  roundabout	  and	  felt	  
it	  could	  be	  navigated	  on	  a	  bike	  in	  the	  travel	  lane	  easily.	  	  He	  felt	  that	  the	  expanded	  crosswalk	  at	  
the	  Marginal	  Way	  intersection	  was	  a	  huge	  improvement,	  but	  was	  still	  concerned	  about	  the	  
restricted	  movement	  from	  Marginal	  Way	  west	  bound.	  	  

A	  representative	  of	  the	  Portland	  Chamber	  of	  Commerce	  said	  that	  the	  chamber	  had	  originally	  
been	  primarily	  concerned	  with	  making	  sure	  that	  car	  and	  truck	  traffic	  was	  not	  impeded	  by	  any	  
changes.	  	  Through	  the	  process,	  he	  had	  learned	  and	  been	  able	  to	  convince	  others	  that	  it	  was	  not	  
that	  black	  and	  white.	  	  He	  felt	  there	  were	  some	  big	  positives	  to	  the	  plan,	  such	  as	  tearing	  down	  
the	  "wall"	  of	  Franklin	  with	  improved	  connections	  and	  better	  use	  of	  real	  estate.	  	  It	  would	  also	  
greatly	  improve	  the	  ambiance	  of	  the	  area	  and	  in	  doing	  so	  improve	  the	  whole	  peninsula.	  He	  felt	  
the	  level	  of	  bike/ped	  service	  was	  appropriate	  and	  that	  the	  shared	  space	  concepts	  seen	  at	  
Commercial	  would	  gradually	  be	  expanded	  along	  the	  corridor	  as	  people	  got	  used	  to	  it.	  He	  also	  
liked	  the	  roundabout	  and	  felt	  it	  was	  a	  robust	  solution	  that	  would	  be	  able	  to	  handle	  additional	  
traffic	  volumes	  if	  needed.	  	  They	  were	  concerned	  about	  the	  restricted	  movement	  at	  Marginal	  
Way.	  	  He	  also	  would	  have	  liked	  to	  see	  the	  land	  next	  to	  Lincoln	  Park	  used	  for	  development	  
rather	  than	  expanding	  the	  park	  but	  thought	  that	  the	  improvements	  to	  Federal	  would	  
significantly	  improve	  the	  park,	  which	  would	  make	  the	  surrounding	  parcels	  more	  desirable.	  	  This	  
was	  a	  good	  thing	  and	  he	  felt	  that	  the	  park	  had	  been	  handled	  the	  right	  way.	  Finally,	  he	  was	  glad	  
to	  see	  that	  the	  use	  and	  height	  discussions	  were	  largely	  left	  off	  the	  proposal	  and	  could	  be	  
worked	  on	  in	  more	  detail	  going	  forward.	  	  

The	  final	  committee	  member	  present	  said	  that	  he	  largely	  agreed	  with	  everything	  that	  had	  been	  
said	  before	  them,	  particularly	  the	  positive	  aspects.	  	  He	  also	  felt	  that	  the	  lack	  of	  a	  crossing	  at	  
Lancaster	  was	  a	  concern	  and	  also	  agreed	  with	  the	  concern	  that	  the	  narrowing	  of	  the	  street	  at	  
the	  Commercial	  end	  would	  not	  be	  able	  to	  handle	  traffic.	  	  He	  felt	  strongly	  that	  people	  needed	  to	  
move	  away	  from	  single	  occupant	  car	  travel	  and	  felt	  that	  this	  plan	  would	  help	  to	  balance	  out	  
modes	  so	  that	  other	  modes	  were	  more	  viable.	  	  Overall,	  he	  saw	  the	  proposal	  as	  a	  terrific	  
outcome.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  who	  was	  unable	  to	  be	  present	  at	  the	  meeting	  due	  to	  illness	  sent	  
comments	  in	  via	  email.	  	  He	  liked	  the	  roundabout	  and	  the	  narrowing	  of	  Franklin	  at	  the	  
Commercial	  Street	  end.	  He	  also	  appreciated	  the	  reconnection,	  particularly	  that	  of	  Federal	  
Street,	  and	  the	  extension	  of	  Lincoln	  Park.	  	  He	  did	  question	  the	  safety	  of	  back-­‐in	  angled	  parking	  
on	  Federal	  Street.	  	  He	  wished	  that	  bold	  options	  had	  been	  taken	  at	  the	  Bayside	  Trail	  intersection	  
and	  felt	  that	  overall	  the	  corridor	  could	  be	  even	  more	  bike	  and	  pedestrian	  friendly.	  	  He	  
understood	  the	  compromises	  though	  and	  is	  in	  support	  of	  the	  plan.	  	  

Carol	  asked	  for	  a	  show	  of	  hands	  and	  found	  unanimous	  support	  from	  the	  PAC	  for	  the	  plan,	  
except	  for	  one	  abstention	  due	  to	  concern	  about	  the	  lack	  of	  a	  pedestrian	  crossing	  at	  Lancaster	  
Street.	  

Cathy	  took	  the	  floor	  to	  review	  next	  steps.	  	  IBI	  Group	  recommends	  that	  the	  implementation	  be	  
done	  in	  three	  steps	  with	  the	  Commercial	  Street	  end	  first,	  the	  Marginal	  Way	  end	  second,	  and	  
the	  middle	  portion	  third.	  	  They	  acknowledged	  that	  the	  Marginal	  Way	  intersection	  is	  scheduled	  
to	  be	  worked	  on	  in	  the	  near	  future	  but	  felt	  the	  Commercial	  end	  had	  the	  least	  complications	  and	  
could	  be	  completed	  fairly	  quickly.	  	  The	  report	  will	  include	  recommendations	  on	  how	  the	  road	  
could	  continue	  to	  function	  during	  construction.	  	  The	  cost	  estimate	  is	  still	  being	  refined	  but	  at	  
the	  time	  was	  around	  $27	  million	  for	  the	  project.	  	  

A	  question	  was	  asked	  about	  the	  phasing	  and	  how	  the	  current	  project	  scope	  included	  an	  initial	  
engineered	  design	  for	  the	  Marginal	  Way	  intersection.	  	  	  

Cathy	  agreed	  that	  this	  was	  the	  case	  and	  that	  they	  were	  recommending	  that	  the	  Preliminary	  
Design	  Report	  (PDR)	  be	  expanded	  to	  include	  the	  whole	  corridor.	  	  This	  would	  allow	  for	  a	  better	  
understanding	  of	  grade	  and	  alignment	  issues.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  asked	  how	  the	  price	  broke	  down	  by	  proposed	  phase.	  	  	  
Cathy	  responded	  that	  it	  was	  approximately	  30%	  of	  the	  total	  for	  phase	  1,	  40%	  for	  phase	  2	  and	  
30%	  for	  phase	  3.	  	  

Carol	  took	  the	  floor	  and	  explained	  that	  the	  next	  step	  was	  for	  the	  team	  to	  present	  the	  plan	  to	  
the	  City’s	  Transportation,	  Sustainability	  &	  Energy	  (TS&E)	  Committee	  on	  April	  15th.	  It	  will	  then	  
go	  to	  the	  City	  Council,	  in	  May	  if	  possible.	  

There	  was	  some	  discussion	  about	  what	  role	  the	  PAC	  could	  play	  in	  this	  and	  it	  was	  felt	  that	  it	  
would	  be	  helpful	  if	  some	  key	  representatives	  could	  come	  to	  the	  meetings	  to	  express	  support.	  	  

Carol	  continued	  by	  saying	  that	  the	  PDR	  would	  take	  place	  in	  May,	  June,	  and	  July.	  	  MaineDOT	  
requires	  that	  two	  public	  meetings	  be	  held	  as	  part	  of	  this	  process.	  	  

A	  committee	  member	  asked	  for	  some	  more	  information	  on	  the	  possibility	  of	  expanding	  the	  
PDR.	  	  

Don	  Ettinger	  replied	  that	  development	  of	  the	  vertical	  and	  horizontal	  alignment	  for	  the	  entire	  
road	  corridor	  was	  important.	  	  It	  is	  being	  recommended	  that	  this	  all	  be	  looked	  at	  the	  same	  time,	  
but	  the	  team	  is	  not	  presuming	  it	  would	  be	  an	  addition	  to	  the	  existing	  contract.	  	  	  

Mike	  Bobinsky	  said	  that	  this	  would	  be	  worked	  on	  more	  going	  forward.	  	  He	  also	  noted	  that	  they	  
were	  contemplating	  inviting	  the	  entire	  Council	  to	  the	  TS&E	  meeting	  in	  May	  to	  expose	  them	  to	  
the	  plan	  early	  on.	  	  They	  were	  trying	  to	  work	  to	  streamline	  the	  process	  and	  would	  let	  the	  PAC	  
know	  as	  they	  have	  a	  better	  idea	  of	  the	  timeline.	  	  

Councilor	  Donoghue	  noted	  that	  the	  proposed	  first	  phase	  (the	  Commercial	  Street	  end)	  was	  the	  
area	  with	  the	  most	  consensus	  from	  the	  PAC.	  	  He	  agreed	  that	  it	  seemed	  achievable	  in	  the	  near	  
term.	  	  

With	  no	  other	  comments,	  Carol	  thanked	  everyone	  for	  all	  their	  hard	  work	  and	  accommodation	  
and	  closed	  the	  meeting	  at	  8:19	  pm.