Portland Planning Board Addresses Transportation Concerns for Roux Institute Campus
The Portland Planning Board convened a workshop Tuesday night to discuss transportation plans for the new Roux Institute graduate school campus, which aims to minimize potential traffic congestion in the East Deering area. The campus, an initiative of Northeastern University, envisions a state-of-the-art graduate school, business accelerator, and training pipeline to bolster Maine’s economy and workforce. Upon completion, the campus is projected to accommodate approximately 5,000 students at the former B&M Baked Beans factory site.
The project has raised concerns about increased traffic in the neighborhood. A memo submitted by Zach Powell on behalf of the institute outlined transportation plans that include a new highway offramp for direct access, bike lanes along Veranda Street, additional metro stops, 581 parking spaces on campus, and a walking trail connecting the campus to the Back Cove Trail via Tukey’s Bridge.
The planning board deliberated on strategies to promote sustainable transportation modes such as biking and public transit, while also considering the realistic traffic demands generated by a new graduate school campus in the vicinity. The public comment period was brief, with most speakers expressing support for the proposed measures. Jim Ahearne, an employee at Roux, noted that he utilizes the metro to commute to campus weekly and regularly cycles from his Freeport residence during the summer months. He emphasized the effectiveness of the institute’s efforts to incentivize biking and metro usage, stating that these initiatives are actively employed by his colleagues and classmates for their commutes.
However, some residents expressed skepticism about the adequacy of the proposed infrastructure to alleviate traffic concerns. Allison Brown, a resident of East Deering, highlighted that her neighborhood currently experiences traffic volumes exceeding the capacity of the area’s infrastructure. In a letter to the board prior to the meeting, she characterized the biking, walking, and public transit solutions proposed by Roux as “inadequate.” She emphasized the seasonal limitations of biking and walking and expressed doubts about the reliability of the Metro as a citywide transportation option. She urged the planning board to adopt a more realistic assessment of the traffic implications of the proposed development.
