A plan to turn State and High streets in Portland into two-way traffic is moving forward after a unanimous vote by the city council Monday night.
Portland resident Joshua Chaisson was there to urge them to make the move. “As a resident of the city in the block between High and State Street, I would hope the council that this would be a very easy yes for you to approve the move to slow down traffic within our city” said Chaisson.
CBS 13 News reports there are complaints about speeding on the current one-way streets and a desire to improve safety conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Councilors described Monday’s vote as an approval of the conceptual phase with a planning phase coming next.
It’s part of a larger plan to upgrade State and High streets, as the state plans to replace and upgrade the signals along both streets. City staff has said the change to two way traffic could be done in conjunction with the state project.
The state will spend about $5 million for the project, and the city could chip in $1.5 million. The city council will vote on any local spending when designs for the streets are finished.
