A new study is finally providing some answers to lingering questions in South Portland about how to handle the growing problem of traffic on the busy Broadway corridor, along with even older questions about whether to establish a passenger ferry to Portland across Casco Bay.
Broadway has always been tough to negotiate at rush hour, and the study — funded by both the city of South Portland and the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) — covers the section of the road that runs from the Casco Bay Bridge to the campus of Southern Maine Community College.
The study’s final report isn’t due until the end of the year, but GPCOG and city officials have held a series of public meetings offering a peek at the suggested solutions. South Portland Planning Director Milan Nevajda said the study’s findings suggest “a suite of different things” ranging from large construction projects to reconfiguring traffic lights, bus routes and bicycle lanes.
“There are big solutions that could happen,” Nevajda said, most notably at the Sawyer Street intersection. Nevajda said that the intersection is overtaxed and will only get worse.
“That level of service is just going to continue to decline,” he said.
Replacing the intersection with a roundabout would help, Nevajda said, but it’s too early to say whether that will happen. He said officials have no idea about cost or if they could fit a roundabout in the area. Space is a concern throughout the Broadway corridor, as many areas are built right to the edge of the road, he said.
Beyond large projects, a presentation by GPCOG earlier this year suggests several smaller changes, referred to collectively as “complete streets.” In simplest terms, Nevajda said, it’s about encouraging alternative transit, such as bicycling, walking and using mass transit.
One example, according to the GPCOG presentation, involves changing neighborhood streets leading to Broadway, adding amenities such as additional marked crosswalks, wider sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Other suggestions include redesigning the city’s bus routes.
“I’m certainly excited about that kind of thing,” Nevajda said.
Another concept included in the study is a potential passenger ferry, launching from the area of Bug Light Park and traveling across the bay to Portland.
“Many of us have considered the idea informally,” said William Needleman, Portland’s waterfront coordinator.
Despite such interest, the GPCOG presentation from earlier this year does not suggest that a ferry service would have a large impact on current traffic problems.
“This service will most likely be an amenity and will not play a key role in reducing vehicle usage in this area of South Portland and in the region,” GPCOG analysts wrote.
Nevajda, however, disagreed with that assessment. He noted that the same GPCOG presentation indicates such a water taxi service would account for 5% of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth commuters. That’s significant enough to keep talking about the idea, he said.
Taking growth into account points to even more potential, Nevajda said. A 30-acre parcel of land on the waterfront just west of Bug Light Park remains largely undeveloped, and Nevajda said residential development there could make a passenger ferry very useful. He also noted growth at the college could lead to even more people using a ferry.