State officials say they're closing the park-and-ride lot on Marginal Way in Portland Thursday to address what they've described as "safety risks" associated with an encampment that has formed there.
Unhoused individuals have set up several dozen tents along the perimeter of the park-and-ride lot. The encampment formed after Portland officials cleared another one across the street along the Bayside Trail back in May, and the park-and-ride site has grown throughout the summer.
In a statement, the Maine Department of Transportation said it will divide the lot into two to accommodate the "competing uses."
The department said 94 spaces within the southern part of the lot will remain for parking, and 84 other spaces will be temporarily blocked off on the northern side. Maine DOT plans to install a temporary barrier and updated signage Thursday. Department officials said that work should be completed by Friday, though it's unclear how long the lot itself will be blocked off.
DOT said it's working with the Maine Department of Public Safety to "institute temporary measures aimed at mitigating the safety risks associated with the encampments of unhoused individuals in Portland."
"Additionally, MaineDOT, in coordination with Maine State Police, will continue to monitor and clear the state-owned land along I-295 in order to preserve public safety," the department said.
The city of Portland has been notified of the plan, Maine DOT officials added.
Spokesperson Shannon Moss said Wednesday in an email that the Department of Public Safety would work with DOT and the city of Portland to "respond to any public safety issues that might arise while providing services at the Marginal Way Park & Ride lot" but didn't offer more details about its role there.
Portland officials have said that a recently-formed task force is trying to identify unhoused individuals throughout the city and match them with temporary or permanent housing and other social services. The group is focusing on those living along the Fore River Parkway first, and plans to remove the encampment there by Sept. 6.
A city spokesperson said Wednesday that after resolving the Fore River encampment, the task force would move on to Marginal Way.
