East Grand Avenue Complete Streets Project
About
The Town of Scarborough is going through the process of making improvements to East Grand Ave in the Pine Point area. It will be a complete streets project, which focuses on safety of the corridor for all users including: motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit. Planning for this began in 2018 when the Town completed the East Grand Avenue Corridor Preliminary Plan and held public forums with resident input into planning. Further planning was put on hold through the pandemic and resumed again in 2025.
The Need
The increase in users of this corridor in the summer months bring challenges in balancing the needs of all users as they navigate to and from the beach. This corridor is also a critical emergency evacuation route during winter storm events. In addition, this roadway has a year-round transit provider navigating this corridor, as well as a number of seasonal trolleys that provide pick-up and drop-off at the beach. This project will include a Complete Streets design for the corridor. In addition, the drainage infrastructure will be upgraded.
Project Updates
The East Grand Ave Complete Streets project continues to evolve based on public input, technical review, and safety considerations. We encourage residents to stay engaged through future updates and meetings.
East Grand Ave Crosswalk Improvements – Winter 2026
On February 24, 2026, Town staff presented the East Grand Avenue Complete Streets Project design plans to the Transportation Committee. The plans proposed five enhanced crosswalks along East Grand Avenue between Granite Street and 11th Street. The design strategy focused on installing curb bumpouts and strategically placed raised crosswalks to slow traffic and improve safety within a corridor heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists. Specifically, the proposal included upgrades to three existing crossings (Granite St, Sea Rose Ln, and 11th St), and two additional crosswalks (Dover St and 9th St). In addition, the crosswalks at either end of the corridor were proposed to be raised (Granite St and 11th St).
Following further review by the Transportation Committee and consideration of public comment, revisions to the design were recommended. The Committee ultimately recommended reducing the number of crosswalks to four along the corridor. This approach is intended to reinforce clearly highlighting crossing locations that emphasize ADA accessibility, while still recognizing that many pedestrians may continue to more cautiously cross at locations they find most convenient.
The current concept endorsed by the Committee includes:
- The additional of a new raised crosswalk at Oak Street
- Existing crosswalk to be enhanced at Granite Street
- Existing crosswalk to be enhanced at Sea Rose Lane
- Raising the existing crosswalk at 11th Street
East Grand Avenue Corridor
The Transportation Committee is seeking public input through March 31, 2026. Public comment will then be compiled and reviewed by the Transportation Committee and discussion on any additional changes that need to be made to the plans at their April 28, 2026 meeting. This meeting is open to the public.
Virtual Meeting: February 10, 2026 at 6:00pm
A virtual meeting will be held to review draft design plans on February 10 from 6:00-7:30pm (Zoom registration). It is virtual-only to accommodate seasonal residents. Review the design plans linked below ahead of the meeting. The Town is seeking public feedback on these draft designs; submit your feedback through the form below or attend the meeting to share your thoughts.
East Grand Avenue Complete Street Design Plans
Review the East Grand Ave project design plans and provide your feedback. Comments will be considered by Town staff and consultants as part of the Final Design Plans. Design plans will also be discussed in the virtual meeting on February 10th.
Bike Lane Considerations (Fall 2025)
The public and Town collaborated to create an option for bi-directional bike lanes, where cyclists would travel in both directions on one side of the street on two paths physically separated from road traffic (unlike traditional one-way lanes). Bi-directional bike lanes are shown below as Option E. Traditional one-way lanes are shown as Option D.
Upon further review and feedback from Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the plan reverted back to a more traditional bike lane design. Concerns centered around operations, drainage, and safety, including the following:
- Safety of cyclists requires barriers that impact drainage, and winter plowing operations.
- Traveling against vehicular traffic may be unsafe for cyclists.
- Barriers may not provide cyclists with adequate protection.
- Sight-distance for driveways and side streets along the southbound side of roadway may result in vehicles parking in bi-directional bike lanes.
- The transition points on either end of the bi-directional lanes may cause safety issues for cyclists.
Based on the feedback received to date, the design engineers are continuing to work on the updated design for the corridor, depicted below as Option D+.
Project Schedule
- July 29, 2025 - Kick-off Public Meeting of the FY2026 project
- August - December 2025 - Survey and Design work
- December 9, 2025 - Transportation Committee will review bike lane changes
- December 2025 - Information will be updated on the project webpage and sent to Pine Point stakeholder group
- January 2026 - Draft Design Plans will be posted to the project page
- February 10, 2026 - Public Virtual meeting held to review the Draft Design plans for project
- February 11, 2026 - Public comment portal will be live on the project webpage
- February 24, 2026 - Design plans will be reviewed at regularly scheduled Transportation Committee meeting
- March 31, 2026 - Public comment portal period will close
- April 27, 2026 - Design plans will be finalized at regularly scheduled Transportation Committee meeting
- April - June 2026 - Town Council Budget process will include discussions related to funding of the construction project.
Meetings & Materials
July 29, 2025 | Project Presentation
December 9, 2025 | Transportation Committee Presentation (Bike Lanes)
February 10, 2026 | Zoom , Project Presentation