Officials to Discuss Problems With West End Connector Road

City officials will hold a public meeting at the METRO Offices, 114 Valley Street, on May 16th 6 PM, to discuss problems with the lane markings, signage and traffic lights at the new I-295 connector, which was designed in part to take traffic off some of the residential streets in Portland.

The November 2005 opening of the connector marked the completion of a first-of-its-kind highway project. The $25-million connector, which links the Outer Congress Street exit of Interstate 295 with West Commercial Street and the waterfront, is Maine’s first highway project to be constructed using the design-build process which enables the Maine Department of Transportation and its contractors to complete projects in less time and with greater flexibility than with the traditional highway project delivery system.

Construction of the connector included replacement of a traffic circle with an at-grade intersection and construction of a one-mile span of highway with three bridges along Fore River.

In addition, the project provided more than a mile of pedestrian and bicycle trails between the Portland Transportation Center (train and bus station) and Commercial Street. The Connector trail is also the center of Portland Trails’ Fore River Trail—a vital part of its network connecting the Fore and Stroudwater River trails to Portland’s Old Port.