A short stretch of Church Street will become one-way following the Belfast City Council’s unanimous approval Tuesday of ordinance amendments intended to simplify traffic at Post Office Square, improve pedestrian safety and create a van-accessible parking space in front of City Hall.
The amendments to Chapter 58, the city’s traffic and vehicles ordinance, complete the legislative steps needed to implement a street redesign that has been under discussion for several months. The plan will direct traffic north from Main Street toward Market Street, eliminating the southbound approach from that section of Church Street into the downtown five-way intersection.
The accompanying parking arrangement will combine parallel and diagonal spaces, providing 20 on-street parking spaces, a net increase of one, while improving access for people with disabilities.
Councilor Mary Mortier described the proposal as “low hanging fruit” in the city’s effort to relieve congestion at the intersection.
“It makes common sense,” Mortier said. “It’s low cost in budgeting, it adds an ADA parking space, and it adds one more parking space and safety factors on each end. In my book, this is a win, win.”
For motorists, the principal change will be the direction of travel on Church Street between Main and Market streets. Once the new configuration takes effect, drivers will no longer be able to enter that block from Market Street and travel south toward Main Street.
Drivers leaving the shared City Hall and KeyBank parking lot will also need to follow signs directing them toward Market Street. City staff will continue coordinating with KeyBank over the placement of no-left-turn signage at the parking lot exit.
Deputy Economic Development Director Joellyn Warren told councilors the transition would be handled similarly to the earlier traffic change on Miller Street. Signs will warn motorists of the coming change, and the police chief and Public Works director will determine the exact implementation date.
The council’s approval therefore establishes the legal basis for the new traffic pattern, while the physical conversion will follow through installation of signs, pavement markings and related improvements.
Councilor Neal Harkness said he expected the adjustment to offer practical benefits without creating substantial difficulties for drivers.
“I don’t see any significant inconvenience with this change,” Harkness said. “I see it being a safer and more efficient traffic pattern.”
Mayor Eric Sanders acknowledged the adjustment that comes with changing a familiar route.
“Change is hard,” Sanders said, while describing the proposal as common sense.
The amendments make two related changes to Chapter 58. One adds Church Street between Main and Market streets to the city’s list of one-way streets. The other removes the stop requirement for southbound Church Street traffic at Main Street because that approach will no longer be permitted.
The northbound stop requirement at Church and Main remains. Removing the southbound stop requirement accompanies elimination of that traffic movement; it does not authorize drivers to continue south through the intersection without stopping.
The project grew out of the 2025 Belfast Active Transportation Plan, which identified incremental improvements intended to reduce conflicts among turning vehicles and improve safety at Post Office Square.
In a Sept. 29 memorandum to the mayor, council and city manager, Warren described the Church Street proposal as addressing a documented sight-line hazard at the intersection with Main Street.
The goal is to reduce the number of competing movements drivers must anticipate at a complicated downtown junction. Eliminating vehicles approaching Main Street southbound from this block of Church Street removes one source of turning traffic and is intended to make the intersection easier to navigate.
The redesign also changes how the available street space is used for parking.
Although the completed layout will produce a net gain of one space, it includes removal of two spaces in front of the Historical Society near Market Street. Warren’s memorandum identifies that section as a pinch point where the street narrows and cannot accommodate parking on both sides under two-way operation.
Redistributing parking along the block allows the city to address that constraint while providing a combination of parallel and diagonal spaces elsewhere. Residents visiting City Hall, nearby businesses and other downtown destinations will need to follow the new markings when entering and leaving parking spaces.
A central element of the plan is a full van-accessible parking space in front of City Hall, designed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
The improvement involves both the parking space and its connection to the sidewalk. Adequate clearance is necessary for people using vehicle lifts or ramps, while a properly positioned curb ramp provides an accessible route from the street.
Public Works will evaluate the existing curb ramp and make any realignment needed to serve the new parking space. The design also preserves access to the fire hydrant in front of City Hall.
New signs will include stop, do-not-enter and no-left-turn signs. The plan calls for two stop signs at Church Street’s intersection with Market Street to improve visibility for approaching drivers.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.