It’s time to get real and be honest with the public about the Franklin Arterial revamp planning and sea level rise. The City of Portland project rendering shows a 275-unit apartment building in the current Franklin Arterial median at the intersection with Lancaster Street. A major problem with this presentation is that, by 2100 or earlier, that intersection will be the shore of Back Cove.

The official sea level rise projections by the Maine State Planning Office are for the “intermediate rise” scenario (in which aggressive action to reduce carbon emissions is taken worldwide) resulting in a sea level rise of 1.5 feet by 2050 and 3.9 feet by 2100. The high-emission scenario (which is our current track and does pretty much nothing about carbon emissions) will result in a 3.0-foot sea rise by 2050 and an 8.8-foot sea rise by 2100.

The Maine Geological Survey has a wonderful online interactive GIS map that allows the selection of those very sea level rises. At a 3.9-foot sea level rise, Whole Foods will be flooded along with Lancaster Street. The proposed apartment building will literally be at the edge of Back Cove.

Since the election of Donald Trump, who has neither the desire nor skill to lead the world’s effort to reduce carbon emissions, the “high” scenario is more likely. In that scenario, by 2100, pretty much everything below Oxford Street will flood during an annual high tide with no storm surge. More than half of the project’s new buildings shown in the rendering will flood. It is past time to be honest.

Carl Wilcox
Minot