Council urges action on trail link

Advocates of a new pedestrian connection between the Back Cove Trail and the Bayside Trail at Franklin Arterial got a boost this week as the city council passed a resolution endorsing the idea.

Although it's still up to the Maine Department of Transportation to decide whether to build the trail during an on-ramp improvement project planned for Exit 7 off I-295, supporters are hoping the city's backing will resonate among policy makers in Augusta.

"This could be our only shot at this," said Nan Cumming, executive director of Portland Trails, one of the architects and key supporters of the connector. She added that this could be a "once in a lifetime opportunity" open a third link to the Back Cove Trail from the Peninsula -- a stated goal of city planners since the 1980s.

As proposed, the trail link would run parallel to Franklin Arterial from the intersection at Marginal Way, pass under the I-295 overpass, then bend to the left, where it would connect with the Back Cove Trail. That path would also provide access to the Bayside Trail, which is under construction now but will one day link the East End Trail with Deering Oaks Park.

Currently, Peninsula access to the Back Cove Trail can only be gained from Washington Avenue on the East End or Preble Street in Bayside.

For the time being, much about the proposed trail must still be resolved. The first question is who is paying for it. Although the trail wouldn't be more than a few hundred meters long, it abuts a highway off-ramp, meaning new infrastructure and guard rails would likely be required for safety along the trail route. Then there is the question of materials and labor -- costs that some trail supporters hope MDOT will just add onto the Exit 7 project.

An amendment tacked on to the city's resolution on Monday asked MDOT to create separate bids for the Exit 7 project and the trail. That would allow potential contractors to include a cost estimate for the trail project.

An MDOT spokesman couldn't be reached for comment after hours on Monday.

The next question has to do with pedestrian safety at the busy intersection at Franklin and Marginal Way. Thousands of cars per day pass through the area, and planners say new crosswalk amenities must be added before walkers, joggers and bikers could safely reach the trail. An engineering firm in Portland has begun looking at how to structure new crosswalks at the intersection, but Cumming said it would likely be up to the city to pay for those improvements.

Although the council's resolution could provide fresh momentum for the trail effort, which has support from a half dozen neighborhood groups as well as organizations like Trust for Public Land and Portland Trails, the state does not have to follow the city's recommendation.

But for Cumming and eight others who spoke in favor of the trail at Monday's council meeting, timing trail construction with the exit work makes more sense than waiting for a future opportunity. They say completing both projects at once and would prevent multiple traffic tie-ups at the intersection and save money.

Councilors listened to passionate testimony from trail supporters, many of whom said the link would encourage greener transit and encourage recreation among cyclists and pedestrians. Beyond that, advocates note that the trail would shorten by up to a mile the distance Bayside residents must walk to Forest Avenue shopping centers like Hannaford that are separated from the Peninsula by I-295.

Felicia Teach, a representative from the League of Young Voters, was among those who spoke in support of both the city resolution and the measure in general. She said it was time to "urge MDOT to make the right decision."