I N T E R O FFI CE M E M OR AN D UM

TO: BANGOR CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER CONLOW, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
CROMWELL
FROM: BEN SPRAGUE
SUBJECT: AN ALTERNATIVE LOCATION FOR THE COMMUNITY CONNECTOR BUS HUB
DATE: 1/21/2020

The purpose of this memo is to offer a proposed alternative location for the proposed Community
Connector bus hub. It is first worth noting a goal that is generally shared by all nine councilors as
well as the majority of the public, which is to keep a strong bus presence in Downtown Bangor. As
the two previous bus studies have concluded (and which I now acknowledge), proposed locations for
a bus hub in Abbott Square or Washington Street or the idea of mini-hubs are likely not viable due to
the complex logistics of having multiple bus lines converge in these locations, which are themselves
constrained by a variety of variable both physical and geographic.

A viable location would need to be accessible, not be overly disruptive to pedestrians and vehicle
traffic, and be close enough to Pickering Square so that the current route timings could remain
generally in place.

The figure below proposes a site on Exchange Street. The location would likely require a partial cut
of the existing curb on the northwest side of Exchange Street and the elimination of several parking
spaces, although the net loss of spots would be on par with that which is currently proposed for
Water Street under the current plans for Pickering Square. It would also require the re-orientation of
the entrances of the City-owned parking lot on Exchange Street and possibly of the parcel of land
where the T.D. Bank building is located. The potential advantages, however, are numerous.
Positive aspects of this proposed location include the following:

 Bus hub remains in Downtown Bangor in a centralized location

 Proposed location is on a flat gradient
 Improved access for Brewer buses and for buses coming from the University of Maine, Old
Town, Orono, and Veazie. The Broadway route is also likely improved and the Hampden
route would be little changed from the Pickering Square hub location
 Route timings could remain generally as they are now
 Location is near rail lines and the former Union Station. If passenger rail returns to Bangor
this site could be part of a true multi-modal facility
 Proposed location is not in a flood zone (further discussion below)
 “Exchange Street” has symbolic value as a place for bus interchanges and presents
marketing/branding opportunities.
 Pickering Square is preserved as an outdoor plaza for events, green space, and for
programming by the Maine Discovery Museum, among others, yet the bus hub remains
Downtown.

Additional considerations:

 Given the accessibility of this location, a shuttle (the trolley?) could circulate on a continuous
basis. If funding allowed, two shuttles/trolleys running continuously would be even more
beneficial. Stops along a proposed loop could include:
o Bangor City Hall
o Bangor Public Library
o Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building/Penquis
o Turnaround in In Town Plaza (CVB, Gosselin’s, laundromat, etc.)
o Norumbega Parkway
o West Market Square
o Maine Discovery Museum/Freeses Assisted Living
o Pickering Square *preserves a transit connection in Pickering Square
o The Clubhouse/Bangor Police Station
o The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter
o Shaw’s
o Cross Insurance Center/Hollywood Casino
o Turnaround in Parks & Rec parking and then a return to Downtown
 If there is not enough room on Exchange Street, an “L-shaped” design could possibly be
used incorporating space on Hancock Street. The one-way direction of traffic currently on
Hancock Street could potentially be reversed to accommodate this.

Conclusion

This potential location preserves many of the aspects of the proposed Pickering Square location,
namely, that it remains a centralized hub in Downtown Bangor, while offering some additional
advantages including the preservation of the entirety of Pickering Square for other uses. I would like
to ask for consideration of this location and further discussion on its merits and potential drawbacks,
some of which I may be unaware of due in part to my lack of expertise as a traffic engineer.

2
Addendum – Pickering Square Flood Zone

Over the last two years of discussion on this topic, one of the proposed locations for a bus hub was
behind the parking garage, which is understandably in a high risk flood zone (Flood Zone AE) as
shown in the figure below. This designation has justifiably eliminated this location as a possible site.
However, Flood Zone AE does extend to the front of the parking garage, and based on my reading
of the map, much of Pickering Square itself is currently in a flood zone, albeit it a lower risk one.
(Blue is the higher risk Flood Zone AE; Orange is a lower risk zone, but a flood zone nonetheless).

It is believed that due to climate change and rising sea levels, flood zones will expand in the coming
years. If FEMA, which is the federal agency in charge of flood zone determinations, were to draw the
lines more expansively in the coming years, the currently proposed location of the bus hub in
Pickering Square could potentially end up falling within the higher risk flood zone category. This
could require the City of Bangor to either re-locate the bus hub or obtain costly flood insurance. The
ability to obtain additional federal funds for the transit system in the future could also be put into
jeopardy; although admittedly this is something I need to learn more about as I do not fully
understand the rules.

Regardless of whether a new hub location is determined, the City should thoroughly vet any issues
related to the current flood zone of Pickering Square and address concerns about more expansive
flood zone categories that may be determined in the coming years. The Kenduskeag Stream is a tidal
body of water and rising waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Penobscot River would undoubtedly affect
this flood zone area.