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Committee signals preference for bike-lane concept as MaineDOT presents Alfred/Alpha Street PDR
Summary
City engineer Craig Chekken presented two MaineDOT preliminary design concepts for Alfred/Alpha Street; the committee signaled support for the concept that includes bike lanes but raised substantial concerns about loss of parking and municipal paving costs estimated at roughly $750,000 to $1,000,000. Public meetings are planned before final design.
City engineer Craig Chekken told the Traffic Committee on June 30 that MaineDOT and Sebago Technics submitted two concept plans for the Alfred/Alpha Street preliminary design report (PDR), one without bike lanes and one that includes bike lanes and associated green demarcations.
"This is a PDR — it's preliminary design report," Chekken said, describing the project limits from Washington Street (near the post office) to Main Street and the grant process that began with a competitive application in December 2022. He said construction estimates are approximately $2,000,000 and that DOT indicated the city would be responsible for paving costs on this complex project.
The stakes for downtown parking were a central point of debate. "They counted 25 parking spaces," Chekken said of DOT's inventory; the bike-lane concept would remove the majority of those on-street spaces, he added. Several committee members questioned that count and asked staff to verify the inventory.
Committee members expressed both support for improved bike infrastructure and concern about fiscal tradeoffs. One member summarized the financial tension by saying spending roughly $750,000 to eliminate parking along a major corridor "seems like not bang for the buck." Another member argued bike lanes can increase downtown activity and asked that the city consider mitigation, including use of the police-station paid lot or timed parking regulations.
Committee members pressed for clarity on schedule and flexibility. Chekken said DOT has a PDR deadline in August and plans two public meetings (August and October), with a final PDR submittal expected by year-end. He said these public meetings and a separate final-design phase will allow for refinement before any council-level funding decision.
Several members urged that the committee provide high-level direction to DOT while reserving detailed design choices for the public process. One committee member said he would "endorse the bike-lane concept with the caveat" that segments close to downtown not lose sidewalk frontage important for storefronts and outdoor seating.
Chekken said he would relay the committee's preference and the financial concerns to MaineDOT and noted that final design and any construction agreements would require council approval and likely appear in future capital improvement programming.
Next steps: staff will verify DOT's parking counts, coordinate visuals for public outreach, and share dates for MaineDOT's public meetings so the committee and affected businesses can participate.
