Crazy Transit Pitches (Maine Edition)

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I really wonder if BRT implementation in Portland would be a catalyst for other, larger NE cities (Worcester, New Haven, etc) to start their own BRT projects. If a little Maine city of 67,000 people could do it, why couldn't 185,000 Worcester do it? I know the completion of the CT Fastrack in Hartford got Springfield (which is only 20 or so miles north) studying BRT corridors on State Street/Boston Road.
 
Hubman said:
I know the completion of the CT Fastrack in Hartford got Springfield (which is only 20 or so miles north) studying BRT corridors on State Street/Boston Road.
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In spite of itself. The cost overruns and corruption on CTFastrak alone could've had a chilling effect on BRT nationwide if it didn't (somewhat) surprise on initial ridership. And I would only call that one *metastable*, because if the NEC FUTURE study had given more serious thought to Midland HSR via Hartford (i.e. what CT pols actually dearly want instead of the I-95 HSR route) the public would become way better acquainted with how Amtrak completely bent over and robbed ConnDOT blind on the lease terms for co-running on the Springfield Line ROW, and how ex-Gov. Malloy rammed it through bang-bang to escape scrutiny over just how bad the deal was. The lease is revokable at-will and without penalty by Amtrak...which means if they ever need to insert Track 3 for any reason whatsoever the Fastrack busway gets instantly evicted over half of its total length, infrastructure bulldozed in the process. Generally terrible all-around precedent, even though right now it's working more or less as intended. 25 years from now...your guess on whether future needs force a pickle.
 
www.pressherald.com

Proposal to extend passenger rail to Bangor advances in Legislature

Major questions remain about the project, though, such as its cost and its environmental impact.
www.pressherald.com www.pressherald.com

Legislative bill funding feasibility study of Downeaster extension to Bangor via Brunswick/Augusta makes it out of committee by unanimous vote, now to be voted on by both Houses soon with favorable odds of passage. I know it's a self-reinforcing meme that MEDOT luvs doing studies about studies...but this will be the first actual attempt at benchmarking planning-useful demand numbers for a schedule that links Gardiner, Augusta, Waterville, Pittsfield and/or Newport, and Bangor with destinations on the rest of the corridor. Way more actionable info than a TRNE flak in front of a public meeting open mic pulling adjectives excitedly out of his ass.
 
👏 F-Line to Dudley for President (of NNEPRA)! 👏
 
(Incidentally, the above-mentioned study resolve actually passed the Legislature and was signed by Governor Mills... but there is a section requiring MaineDOT to go find the money for it. I don't know what became of it.)

So far as crazy transit pitches go, here's mine: a duck boat amphibious ferry across the harbor. Restore the old boat ramp adjacent to the SoPo boat launch (to avoid conflicts with the rest of the users), pull a bunch of the old Grand Trunk pilings inside the megaberth, and build a new ramp leading into the Amethyst lot. Red on this map is the water portion of the trip, blue is the Portland land portion (going as far as Long Wharf and reversing there), green are potential stops (assume each side of the street except for Long Wharf), and pink is the boat launch to be restored. I couldn't fit the South Portland side at scale, but my intent is that it goes as far as SMCC, with an added stop at Spring Point Marina at the end of Broadway.

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Here's the South Portland side: I also included a stop where the Greenbelt hits Pickett St., and a potential Park & Ride lot (yellow) to serve commuters from Willard Square and the Cape.

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MarkHB, that's not crazy, it's smart. I was in Boston last week and they now have some double decker buses (like NYC) in addition to the large duck boat ones. A double decker bus is a bit of an overkill for Portland, though I do hate the current corny shuttle ones and that silly fire truck that sits in front of DiMillo's. Both scream out a podunky small town feel to me. Your duck boat idea for Portland and this route is great. Let's popularize it to the powers that be. Another good thing about it is the prominent front row view of it going in and out of the water--that's entertainment in itself. In Boston, they enter and exit in a mostly hidden area, under a bridge just past North Station. You can only really see that while coming in on The Downeaster.
 
The Metro actually had an authentic London Routemaster double-decker bus at one time that it used as a tourist attraction. Of course, one of the first drivers who took it out tried to drive it up Park Avenue and slammed into the trestle at St. John St, so it had a huge dent in the top front.

But, thanks! Google AI helped me with some of the minor details like adding the park and ride lot, but the concept is mine.
 
Another route once in SoPo would be to see Portland Head Light. I believe that many tourists including cruise ship passengers like to see that, along with LL Bean and the Maine Mall. So for cruise ship passengers, they would be getting back on another boat! (As some already do from eating lunch at DiMillos, a repurposed ferry.)
 
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I propose the Chunnel between sopo and Portland that would start at Franklin and end up near bug light....
 
PWMFlyer said:
I propose the Chunnel between sopo and Portland that would start at Franklin and end up near bug light....
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Oh it can have an off ramp there, but it should keep going to Portland Head Light. Maybe this is also the solution PTC <> PWM? And while we've got the boring machine in Portland, let's put all of the Commercial St traffic in a tunnel and turn the surface into a park.

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nomc said:
Oh it can have an off ramp there, but it should keep going to Portland Head Light. Maybe this is also the solution PTC <> PWM? And while we've got the boring machine in Portland, let's put all of the Commercial St traffic in a tunnel and turn the surface into a park.

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While we got the TBM out here--run 295 through dual tunnels under the peninsula, then turn the existing 295 corridor into an avenue with linear parks and multimodal transportation options.

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nomc said:
Oh it can have an off ramp there, but it should keep going to Portland Head Light. Maybe this is also the solution PTC <> PWM? And while we've got the boring machine in Portland, let's put all of the Commercial St traffic in a tunnel and turn the surface into a park.

View attachment 73047
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That's essentially what the Big Dig in Boston did, eliminating a roadway to put it underground, then create a park above, The Rose Kennedy Greenway (which is magnificent, I might add). The final cost? $24.3 billion. Ouch.
 
Yeah, connect the jetport by constructing an underground roundabout where the tunnel passes under St John St, then add a branch to PTC and PWM.
 
Need a tax... let's see, 120 million lobster rolls served each year... $1 per roll as no on will notice because they're already like, what? $35 a roll? Borrow over a 30 year term and now you've got some capital to work with.
 
I have to wonder if TBC can actually find real ways to reduce the costs of tunneling. If so, maybe these aren't crazy ideas 25+ years from now?
 
The Boring Company would be a good fit for Portland, I think. It's less expensive than a normal tunnel project because the tunnels are smaller and designed for autonomous EVs to take you directly to your desired station as opposed to handling regular traffic. Would be great for linking up the airport to points downtown, maybe over to South Portland, etc. I know this is a crazy pitch thread but stuff like moving 295 underground (which would be amazing) is probably never gonna happen.
 
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