Type: Complete Streets Guide
Size: Lewiston-Auburn, ME (59,647 population, 101 sq. miles)
Status: Complete
In 2014, Street Plans was commissioned by the Androscoggin Transportation Resource Center— the Metropolitan Planning Organization serving the urbanized area of Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, and portions of Sabattus, Maine- to help the Lewiston-Auburn area achieve a balanced and complete transportation system. Street Plans performed three deliverables to help the Twin Cities accomplish this goal:
• Downtown Arterial Streets Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Analysis + Plan;
• Complete Streets Best Management + Design Manual;
• Bicycle/Pedestrian Greenways Connectivity Plan.
First, Street Plans conducted an existing conditions analysis, collecting specific datasets, such as street and lane widths, traffic volumes, crash data, and the location of existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities. After the information baseline was established, Street Plans took to the streets to conduct a Handlebar and Walkabout Survey, riding and walking around the study area to view existing conditions on the ground. This research culminated in a report with recommendations and cost estimates for addressing bicycle and pedestrian access in the cities of Lewiston and Auburn.
Street Plans then developed a Complete Streets Best Management Practices Guide, which offers an overview of Complete Streets, categorization of Lewiston-Auburn’s unique thoroughfare types, and a “toolbox” of 38 best practices for achieving Complete Streets— which includes walking, cycling, public space, transit, and driving infrastructure. With this manual, the cities of Lewiston and Auburn can better plan, design, and implement Complete Streets.
The final task involved recommendations for how to connect and enhance the existing greenways in Lewiston and Auburn to create a unified network. The report provided three different route options for connecting Lewiston’s Riverside Greenway to Simard-Payne Park, which would allow access across the Androscoggin river to Auburn’s riverwalk/Moulton Park.
