A Project to Make Forest Avenue Safer and More Accessible for All

The goal of the Forest Avenue Redesign Project is to increase safety and accessibility for all street users pedestrians, motorists, bicyclists and transit riders. The project focuses on Forest Avenue from Woodfords Corner to Beford Street/Baxter Boulevard (USM). The scope of work includes:

• review of prior studies and analysis of existing conditions
• development and evaluation of street configuration alternatives that address identified issues
• development of a recommended street configuration
• 'pop-up' and more formal public outreach and engagement opportunities.

September 2026 Final Street Design Concept

Throughout 2026, City of Portland staff worked with Maine DOT to develop a recommended design for a demonstration phase of the proposed changes to Forest Avenue. Because the recommended street configuration includes a reduction in the number of travel lanes, MaineDOT has requested that the proposed redesign be tested through a demonstration phase before full implementation. The design uses lower cost materials, such as striping and bollards.

The design implements the outcomes from the recommended street design concept including:
* A reduction in travel lanes from four lanes to three with a center turn lane
* Consolidation of on-street parking to one side of the street for most of the project area (alternating its location considering parking supply and observed demand during the study)
* Adding buffered bicycle lanes
* Adding two new crosswalks and enhancing two existing crosswalks with pedestrian refuge islands at unsignalized intersections and adding a fourth crosswalk at the Ashmont-Belmont signalized intersection
* Better defined bus stops.

A demonstration of the street design would be in place for 4-6 months to test its effectiveness prior to making any changes permanent. Ultimately, the more permanent changes may include installing raised pedestrian islands where striped islands with bollards are shown, adding curb extensions at intersections to reduce pedestrian crossing distances and reduce turning traffic speeds, and changes in curb lines to reduce street width.

The road diet, new and enhanced pedestrian crossings, and the bike lanes are proven safety counter-measures that advance the city’s Complete Streets Policy and Vision Zero objectives.

You can review the draft street design here.

April 2026 Business + Bicycle/Pedestrian Meetings

In April of 2026, the City of Portland met with representatives from businesses along Forest Avenue to share draft plans for the project's demonstration phase. The presentation explained the recommended street concept and provided an opportunity for feedback. The meeting was followed by a short business survey.

In addition, the City met with representatives of bicyclist and pedestrian advocacy groups to share the concept plans for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. This meeting also provided an opportunity for feedback.

February 2025 Executive Summary and Recommendations

The Forest Avenue Redesign Project Executive Summary was published in February 2025. It includes a summary of the process and findings of the project as well as recommendation to pursue a road diet with buffered bicycle lanes. Because the project recommends a road diet, it will be tested through a demonstration project in advance of final installation. All technical analysis for the project can be viewed in the Forest Avenue Redesign Project - Appendices Compilation.

November 2024 Public Meeting + Survey

On November 19, 2024, over 80 members of the public attended an open house and public meeting to review draft alternatives for Forest Avenue and provide feedback. A summary of the input from the open house is available in the summary notes. Presentation slides are also available.

Following the meeting, an online survey was available for public input. Findings from the survey were published in summary charts as well as a summary of detailed survey responses.

October 2024 Alternatives Analysis

During this stage of the project, a range of potential street design concepts were developed that respond to the project goals. These alternatives were:

• No Build - the current street configuration of four travel lanes and on-street parking
• Option A - adding a fifth lane, a two-way center turn lane, to the current four travel lanes
• Option B - adding bicycle lanes to to the current four travel lanes
• Option C - a lane reduction to 3 lanes, adding bicycle lanes and retaining one side of on-street parking
• Option D - a lane reduction to 3 lanes and retaining both sides of on-street parking.

The alternatives were assessed against evaluation criteria in the following categories:

• Trafffic safety
• Traffic operations
• On-street parking
• Driving experience
• Pedestrian safety/experience
• Bicycle facility comfort/'stress level'
• Transit efficiency
• Furtherance of city/state goals.

The draft results of the alternatives analysis were provided in the Alternatives Analysis memo. The City also published a summary of street configuration alternatives and ratings.

August 2024 Existing Conditions Analysis

As part of the first stage of the project, the City of Portland published updated analyses of vehicular traffic operations and multi-modal operations, with a strong emphasis on safety for all modes. A key finding is that vehicular traffic levels - counted during October 2023 - are 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels. This reduction in traffic potentially creates opportunities for a more flexible, multi-modal redesign of the street, addressing the street's current safety and operation issues for all modes of transportation. A more flexible design would be in contrast its current 4-lane configuration with no bicycle lanes, lengthy distances between pedestrian crossings, and numerous high crash locations. The existing conditions analysis also outlined the formal goals of the project.