11/13 Public Meeting - State & High Street Two-Way Project

[Scsmedia]

FYI

11/13 Public Meeting - State & High Street Two-Way Project
On Thursday, 11/13, Public Works staff will hold a public meeting to review and discuss the outcomes of an alternatives analysis for bicycle accommodations in association with the State & High Street Two-Way Project. The meeting will be held at the Portland Public Library, Downtown Branch (5 Monument Sq), in the Rines Auditorium. An open house will be held from 4:30-5:00 PM, followed by a presentation and discussion. 

Would have been nice if they had done the meeting closer to State and High Street.  Several places to choose from.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

[Zack Barowitz]

Thanks for posting. This committee has been working on this issue for a long time. Anyone have any guesses as to the findings?

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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[Winston Lumpkins]

• November 13, 2025 (THURSDAY)

• Public Meeting for State/High Active Transportation Options

  On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the City of Portland will hold a public meeting to review and discuss the outcomes of an alternatives analysis for bicycle accommodations in association with a two-way conversion of state and High Street. The meeting will be held in Rines Auditorium, in the basement of the library.

  An open house will be held from 4:30-5:00, followed by a presentation and discussion.
  

  https://portland.civilspace.io/en/projects/state-high-street-two-way-project
  
  

I plan to be there!  

There is a PDF with detailed plans for several options on State Street on the project website.  

It's a large PDF, so use your nice computer to view it.   This PDF at least is just about State Street; High Street may remain without a bike lane, who knows, but I think it's intersections are still worth scrutinizing so I hope we see a design soon.  

https://portland.civilspace.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBdEVFIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--baa00747b61c4f8cc9c2b165fb66d3054f8b76df/2025-09-25%20Bike%20Alternatives%20Memo%20With%20Appendix.pdf?disposition=attachment

It will be both an amazing connection across the peninsula and crucial for York Street; the PDF is the first time I've seen detailed plans for the intersection with State, York & the Bridge...  

Some of the designs seem to use " 3" raised bicycle crossing" which I think is how a sidewalk level bike lane has to be designed...  

I will study these plans in more depth, hopefully, though hopefully they will also be printed out at the event.  

It will be very interesting and I hope to see some of you there. 

~Winston

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

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[Lucy Climer-Kennedy]

Excited to see you all at the meeting tonight! Open house runs 4:30-5:00 and the presentation and questions go 5:00-7:00.

The options are exciting and our input is important.

Best,

Lucy

Lucy Climer-Kennedy ENV SP (she/her)

Northeastern University | 2025

Business Administration – Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

climerk...@northeastern.edu

(206) 313-1958

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From: pb...@googlegroups.com <pb...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Winston Lumpkins <winston....@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2025 3:04:22 PM
To: PB...@googlegroups.com <PB...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [PBPAC] 11/13 Public Meeting - State & High Street Two-Way Project

 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CABaJc7xJySU_7C39E8MWS8i4H%2BVFs4cqjmUVRAzroy9NZYKLoA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Myles G. Smith]

Agreed, thanks for the plug, Lucy!

My take: Portland needs a high-quality bikeway that can demonstrate what's possible. Park Ave has not been an ideal install, and our on-street bike lanes are just not suitable for all users (my kids, for example). This project gives us an opportunity for a grade-separated bikeway down a lovely street, which would be useful for residents, commuters, joyriders, tourists, and kids getting to schools. I think it's particularly important for those folks who have not seen the great work that's been done in other cities to get a glimpse of what's possible when we invest in our community.

I've got parent-teacher stuff tonight, so I'll be there at around 5:45 or so. Hope to see many of you there.

Cheers,

Myles 

Chair, PBPAC

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/IA1PR10MB6783508C2DA616AB7C850E62F8CDA%40IA1PR10MB6783.namprd10.prod.outlook.com.

[Gordon Platt]

 I very much agree with Myles on this, and I am grateful that the city listened to us a year ago and spent more time on coming up with solutions for all users. 

At the moment, with my priorities being 1. Vulnerable User safety 2.Convenience and navigability 3. Network building/connectivity, I like the dual sidewalk "outside the curb" design on State-York (alternative 1), and then the State to Deering to Mellen St. route on Congress to Park (alternative 4), but Mellen Street still needs design work to make for an equally safe and inviting facility. 
This project is the first of a number of major projects Portland is set to undergo, and we should see it as setting the stage for Portland's new transportation priorities. 

We need to be thinking about and building for the city we want, not for a continuation of the status quo. In order for Portland to grow and thrive in a way that meets our stated climate and Vision Zero Goals, we need to provide designs and facilities that enable and invite modal shifts- even 20% of Portland choosing to ride another 10% of the time should be considered a success. 

Some facts and assumptions that I see in this plan that are important to call out:  

    -Parking, once again, seems to have an unreasonable weight here. There are no options where parking is yellow- if there is a loss of parking, the box becomes red. If we remember from one year ago, this new plan actually NETS about 10-15 parking spaces. Parking was then below capacity in the most recent parking study by about 10 spaces. VHB found space on adjacent streets to ADD parking spaces to offset losses. There are assumptions of priority here that do not serve us. We can afford to lose parking spaces (which might possibly mean netting the same number as current conditions). 

     -The options are provided in a way that makes them appear as if each are weighted equal in terms of cyclist comfort. They are not. A year ago, we asked for safe, protected facilities that users of all ages and skills could feel comfortable riding and navigating. An alternatives study that weights this equally should have one or two categories related to cyclist comfort and safety. The "no-build" alternative will remain a hostile design, only for the most confident (or caught off-guard) cyclists, and keep these streets high on the list for Portland's next vulnerable street user victim location. 

    -Bike lanes are also accessibility lanes. They are also frequented by electric scooter and power wheelchair users who are vulnerable in the road and tripped up by brick sidewalks. 

    -This project is the keystone to a number of other projects. If we get strong bike facilities here, other, related plans (York Street, Forest Ave, Libbytown, Franklin, Commercial Street) will be more encouraged to follow suit. We need to strongly signal our priorities. Might these bike facilities feel a bit "too much" for now? Sure. But in 10 or 15 years, they will be critical, high-frequency connections to a broader network of safe, convenient facilities. 

   -A number of these alternatives are unfinished, and the "minor details" could make or break their success. As an example, we should not accept a bicycle facility design that terminates in the middle of Longfellow Square. 

   -Simply adding sharrows to Mellen Street will not provide the level of comfort needed for a safe, reliable, and inviting bicycle network for people of all ages and abilities. 

     While I understand the severity of roadway constraints on this side of the street, and generally think that an offset route on Mellen is a great idea, painting a bicycle sharrow will have no meaningful impact on cyclist safety or driver behavior. On page 5 is this note: 

              "In response to feedback from the City of Portland, the Mellen Street (Alternative 4) was expanded to include a climbing bicycle lane on Mellen Street northbound. This                              alternative was dismissed due to the removal of approximately 10-15 parking spaces along the west side of Mellen Street." 

         A climbing lane for 10-15 parking spaces sounds pretty good to me! I'm kind of stunned that this option was wiped away so quickly. 

        For it to be a true bicycle byway (for which the city has room to improve upon standards and signage already), I would like to see some added traffic calming on Mellen- lower speed limit, physical daylighting, speed tables etc. 

         Better yet, why not make Mellen Street one way northbound (as now State and High will be two-way), and add a parking-protected climbing lane (with appropriate daylighting)?  

-Park Street could play a role in alternatives (think like Mellen above, protected contra-flow climbing lane), then a bikeway on congress over to State-Deering St.-Mellen. 

As a number of us here fall into the "strong and confident cyclist" group, and often ride places where others would never, I would encourage you to evaluate these routes from the perspectives of people that we want and need in our bicycle networks, and think about the experience of safety, convenience, and navigation for them: 

1. A group of friends, of varying cycling comfort, crossing the peninsula from USM or Oakdale to go to Willard Beach. 

2. A family in the West End who wants to ride to and from the Deering Oaks Farmers Market 

3. Out of State visitors who want to explore Portland on rental bikes 

4. Someone who would ride to work more, or during daylight savings, or in the winter, if they felt like they had a safer route. 

A number of these provided solutions could work, or work with some modifications. Please consider attending tonight, or writing to the city with your questions and comments about this design. There are some assumptions and details in this plan that need to be challenged! 

Gordon 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAJ3bu238ro-Q2-s3TRqbnJfOfp4fA6j3AND3-jg%3DcEFr9Ao3ZQ%40mail.gmail.com.

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Thanks, 

Gordon Platt

[Myles G. Smith]

Gordon, great points made above. Thanks for the thoughtful input. I also love your use cases at the end - my household is a use case for #1 and #4 - me kids would bike with me from Oakdale to downtown and to Willard Beach if there were a safe way to do it.

I missed the presentation and much of the detail, but I was there for the last 30 minutes of Q&A and spoke with the VHB folks and Jeremiah from the city afterwards. Jerimiah said he wants to bring a recommendation to the S&T committee soon. One thing I heard last night was some concern about the loss of trees on State Street. The Longfellow Statue in the square is a tricky issue when considering how the cycle track would enter the street network. While there seemed to be less concern about loss of parking last night, that could always appear at the last moment. We want to help steel the resolve of the folks on the committee, council, and staff that there is a big constituency for the two-way change and for a high-quality bike lane investment.

I suggest that PBPAC write a letter with a firm endorsed position on the State & High alternatives. Personally, I would strongly endorse a grade-separated cycle path. I would endorse this project as a key step to the ultimate goal of a citywide comprehensive network of biking and walking routes that are safe, comfortable, and enticing for everyone. That's how we encourage mode-shift. I'm open minded on the two-way versus both-sides of the street version, but would happily sign onto whatever the group thinks if there's something like a consensus. Let's discuss at our meeting on Sunday at our November PBPAC meeting, after the Day of Remembrance at India & Fore Streets at 10am. Please join us and weigh in! More thoughts welcome on this subject in this thread, particularly if you can't attend Sunday.

Myles

Chair, PBPAC

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAHcy_gwo2wtKmo9z3FomARnxfb-mXTN4vvNX7Zvoaw-u9ARxvw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Myles G. Smith]

Folks,

I've drafted the attached letter regarding the State & High street alternatives presented to us last week.

Here's the draft. Comments or suggestions are more than welcome. Focus on the content for now. Text is below for ease of review. Do we want to be more specific than this? I'd like to be able to finalize and submit a letter within one week, if possible.

Thanks folks!

Myles

###

PBPAC Position on State and High Two-Way Alternatives Analysis

DRAFT November 17, 2025

The Portland Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee endorses a high-quality, safe, protected route across the peninsula. None currently exists. This project presents a great opportunity to create one and show Portland what’s possible, encourage mode-shift, advance our Vision Zero goals, and reduce VMT and vehicle emissions. We are excited about the overall direction of this project to achieve many of our goals of a safer, calmer, more inclusive city. We also see room for improvement on the proposed alternatives. 

We endorse:

1. Grade-separated protected cycletrack / bike lane for the length of State Street from Longfellow Square to the Casco Bay Bridge

2. Reducing speeds through narrowing the street / lanes, using stop signs and curb bump-outs, eliminating unnecessary turn lanes, and adding hard daylighting at intersections. 

3. The removal of the small number of trees and parking that is necessary and reasonable to enable safe pedestrian and cyclist use of these facilities

We are neutral on:

1. Whether the bike facility should be a two-way cycle track on one side of State Street or unidirectional bike lane on each side of the street

We have concerns about the lack of a safe, protected cycling and rolling route that reaches downtown from Parkside. The plan keeps bicycles in mixed traffic on both streets, and presents sharrows on Mellen Street as a safer alternative. 

1. It is unclear what plans there are for High Street. There is generally less space on High Street and more traffic, so this is unlikely to be a better alternative.

2. The terminus of the proposed cycletrack in Longfellow Square leads to obvious safety and bike route continuation questions

3. Sharrows / paint are not infrastructure. The city’s contractors struggle to even place them in the right parts of the street.

4. Tradeoffs with either configuration of the cycle track on State Street between Congress and York. Some concern about bike uses in both directions on a steep hill, and some concern about cyclists going the wrong way down a bike route that is at grade and on the ‘wrong’ side of the street.

Option: the city could consider making Mellen Street into the preferred cyclist route to the West End from the southwestern side of the city. A two-way cycletrack could be added to one side of the street, with a direct connection across Park Avenue to a path through Deering Oaks and connecting to the upcoming Parkside-Libbytown Pathway. Mellen could become one-way for vehicles, which may not be disruptive given the low level of vehicle traffic on the street as it does not connect through to other neighborhoods on either side. It could also remain two-way, at the loss of parking on one side.

[Scsmedia]

I hope I did not tear your draft apart to much.

Steven Scharf

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAJ3bu23nFyWjN_-foNaW-y4X9Z4Jmdw7ibRr0edcZUFAj0FhYA%40mail.gmail.com

.

[Winston Lumpkins]

On the contrary, I think you improved it quite a lot! 

I sent it yesterday afternoon; it bounced back from the listserv because the attachment was too much for google groups, but, I have already heard back from some councilors so it went through for them! 

Thanks for the help, and for all the help with the report- it was a pretty hefty one, and we couldn't have done it without you, Zack, John Clark, Hans, Damon, Lucy, everyone who showed up and took the survey and more who I'm not thinking of! 

-Winston

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

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[Winston Lumpkins]

I think I was responding to the wrong thread above.  This is the thread about a letter on State street bike lanes :).  

I have more thoughts on this; the question of a 2 way vs. 2 one way bike lanes...  

Really I think 2 one way lanes on each side of the street will be better in this case, we just need to push for signage and maybe other steps to reduce riding the wrong way on them.  

There's also the issue of drivers not expecting it, and some cyclists moving quite fast; probably better to keep the fast moving cyclists on one side of the street, and maybe harden that side with even better daylighting and tighter turning controls. 

Hmmm.  I'm not sure that I have time to do a site walk as Steven suggests here: https://groups.google.com/g/pbpac/c/pHsiA6YHCr8 ...

Draft for easy navigation:  
 https://docs.google.com/document/d/17wp4YPcpFMIlneOLIPlbolkD1j53oO2uzgBAcHXeDvU/edit?usp=sharing

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

• 
  

[Christian MilNeil]

I really like the idea of making Mellen Street one-way in order to fit in a physically protected bike lane – and get a connection through Deering Oaks as well. If State is going to be two-way in the future, this should be an easy ask – and we could also make the case to neighbors on Mellen that it'll reduce the probability that drivers will use their street as a cut-through after the State Street 2-way conversion happens. 

One additional benefit – if Mellen becomes one-way, then the City could probably get rid of the traffic signal at Mellen and Park Ave., which would save time for drivers and bus riders, and add at least one median crossing refuge island there where the left turn lane is now to protect pedestrians better. 

Christian MilNeil
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

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[winston.lumpkins]

There's been a lot going on in this google group... We may need to make a few changes, as we really don't want to lose anyone to email exhaustion as this is the primary way we give meeting notice.  So I hesitate to send yet another email, but a reminder that the State Street bike lane Survey is still up, I just got around to taking it.  They might close it on December 1st, not sure how long it will be up for. 

Survey: https://engage.zencity.io/portland/en/engagements/01d68c78-3af4-448e-9bbc-9d965be47199

The PBPAC position draft discussed in this thread so far: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17wp4YPcpFMIlneOLIPlbolkD1j53oO2uzgBAcHXeDvU/edit?usp=sharing

I suspect the survey results might really inform which design they pick, so please take the survey if you have a preference:  

Congress to York/the Casco bay bridge. 
one way bike lanes on both sides vs. a 2 way "cycletrack" on one side from Congress to York/the Casco bay bridge. 

Park to Congress, 
A climbing bike lane and sharrows for the way down vs. the Mellen street byway idea.

The PBPAC position draft discussed in this thread so far: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17wp4YPcpFMIlneOLIPlbolkD1j53oO2uzgBAcHXeDvU/edit?usp=sharing

From Park to Congress, it's a climbing bike lane and sharrows for the way down, or the Mellen street byway idea.  

My take, please take the survey even if you disagree (this might not make sense unless you've taken the survey and seen the pics). 

I think it should be both; there really needs to be a climbing lane on State if we're pretending to try to let bikes get places in a direct and reasonable way, but I think if it fits next to the sidewalk from Deering Street up it should be that way, the way it is in the Mellen street idea.  That narrows the street with parked cars in the lead up to Congress, and that's how I ride up State already, struggle along with the cars till Deering, then transition to the nice wide sidewalk till Congress street.  A climbing lane for the first leg would be nice. 

I tend to think that the 2 way cycle track with this many complex intersections, when it only goes halfway, isn't worth it, esp. since it takes out more trees.  I like trees, and I'd rather fight people about parking than trees.   

[Zack Barowitz]

Winston,

This survey gives me three options:

O (do nothing)

4

5

Did you choose one of these?

Zack 

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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