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Council schedules ordinance change to make Fleet Street one-way with contraflow bike lane
Summary
After a presentation by the city traffic engineer, Portsmouth City Council voted to schedule an ordinance change to convert Fleet Street (Congress to Hanover) to one-way flow and allow a contraflow bicycle lane; first reading is set for Aug. 3 and construction is slated for the fall.
Traffic engineers and councilors on Monday moved the Fleet Street reconstruction from discussion to formal ordinance scheduling, setting the city on a path to redesign the downtown block between Congress and Hanover.
"With the street being completely torn up to separate sewer and replace utilities, this is a chance for us to make improvements to the streetscape, the travel lanes, sidewalks, trees, parking," said Eric Eby, the city's traffic engineer. Eby presented cross-sections and alternatives and said the Parking and Traffic Safety committee recommended one-way vehicle flow from Congress to Hanover while keeping on-street parking where feasible.
Eby said the proposal would provide an 18-foot vehicle lane (the minimum the fire department requested), retain or reconfigure parallel parking and widen sidewalks where the right-of-way allows. He also described an option to restripe a contraflow bicycle lane that would allow bicycles to travel the opposite direction of motor-vehicle flow while maintaining on-street parking.
Supporters said the change balances safety, pedestrian improvements and parking needs. "I am in full support of it," said Councilor Hopkins, noting her service on the bike-ped and parking committees and encouraging inclusion of the bike lane in the design. Councilors pressed staff about tree placement, loading zones and which sidewalk segments would widen; staff said utilities and existing underground infrastructure constrain tree locations but that sidewalks can be made ADA-compliant in the proposed configuration.
Councilors discussed procedure — whether an ordinance change would be required to convert the street to one-way and to allow bicycles to travel opposite traffic — and staff confirmed ordinance language will be needed. The council voted to schedule a first reading of the ordinance change for Aug. 3 and a second reading for Aug. 17. Eby said construction for the Fleet Street segment is still planned to resume after Labor Day with completion targeted in the fall.
The council chose not to take a final vote on the bike-lane configuration tonight; staff will return with ordinance language and the public will have the opportunity to comment during the scheduled readings.
