Portland seeks feedback on long-awaited plan for overhauling Franklin Street
Portland city officials have released a draft redesign of Franklin Street, the busy corridor that runs from Marginal Way to Commercial Street, inviting residents to comment before the plan is finalized. The proposal, presented by the city’s director of planning and urban development Kevin Kraft on Thursday, seeks to transform the thoroughfare into a more pedestrian‑oriented, neighborhood‑focused street.
The draft calls for a series of physical changes: lane widths would be trimmed in several sections, dropping the curb‑to‑curb dimension from the current roughly 100 feet to about 50 to 60 feet, a reduction of more than half in some spots. Separate bicycle lanes would be added, and pedestrian crossings would be upgraded. In addition, the plan would re‑establish connections to a handful of side streets that were cut off when the arterial was built, and it would free roughly 3.5 acres of land for future development, potentially supporting about 700 new homes.
“The redesign would restore those connections,” Kraft said, noting that the project aligns with the goals set out in the 2015 Franklin Street Redesign Master Plan, which called for safer links between neighborhoods and the reclamation of underused parcels.
The need for improvement has become urgent. Two pedestrian fatalities occurred on Franklin Street in the past year, underscoring the street’s reputation as a safety priority for the city. Residents and advocacy groups such as the Franklin Reclamation Authority and the Urbanist Coalition of Portland have long argued that the current layout replaced a historically low‑income, immigrant community with a car‑dominant expressway, sacrificing walkability and local vitality.
When Franklin Street was originally constructed, its primary function was to move traffic from Interstate 295 to downtown Portland and the waterfront. That effort displaced roughly 100 buildings and forced the termination of through‑streets including Lancaster, Oxford, Federal and Newbury, effectively erasing a neighborhood that had thrived there.
Public reaction to the draft has been mixed. While many residents welcome the prospect of a more livable street, some comments on the city’s online portal have questioned whether the proposed modifications at the Franklin‑Marginal Way intersection will be sufficient to protect pedestrians. The city has scheduled a public presentation and feedback session for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Portland Public Library, and comments may be submitted online through September 25.
Funding for the initial design phase is already secured: a $2 million federal grant together with $500,000 in local contributions split between the city and the Maine Department of Transportation. After the comment period closes, the plan and its final study will move to the sustainability and transportation committee and then to the City Council later this fall. If endorsed, the project will advance to detailed design and engineering, with cost estimates to be refined at that stage.
Overall, the draft represents a concerted effort to reverse the legacy of mid‑20th‑century urban renewal, improve safety for walkers and cyclists, and unlock land for new housing and community benefits. The city now awaits public input as it determines whether the vision can be realized.
