Congress Square Intersection Improvements

Project Scope
Congress Square stands as one of Portland’s most vibrant urban spaces, weaving together multimodal connectivity, historic character, and bustling activity. Anchored by Congress Street and High Street, this high-traffic intersection serves as a vital gateway to the City’s peninsula, while also showcasing prominent landmarks and culturally significant buildings. With this location’s unique challenges and opportunities in mind, the City has prioritized making strategic improvements to enhance safety, accessibility, and overall functionality for all users. To ensure Congress Square continues to serve as an inclusive and dynamic public space, the planned enhancements will focus on critical infrastructure upgrades, such as sidewalk improvements, ADA-compliant access, modern traffic signal technology, lighting enhancements, and landscaping that complements the area's aesthetic. With construction slated to begin October 6, 2025, this project reflects Portland's commitment to forward-thinking urban design.

The intersection work, shall generally be conducted on one quadrant of the intersection at a time and adequate pedestrian routing will be provided throughout the duration of the project to provide as little inconvenience as possible to pedestrians and businesses.

The public should expect delays during construction. Traffic will be maintained throughout the duration of construction as follows:
• Congress Street: One lane in each direction
• High Street: Two lanes approaching Congress Square
• High Street: One lane leaving Congress Square
The only exceptions to this will be during periods of milling and paving.

Project Contact
Kris DeVolder
Senior Engineer
kdevolder@portlandmaine.gov
(207) 874-8817