Overview
Welcome to the City’s first neighborhood byway. Our goal is to support a safe route for walking, biking, scootering, skateboarding and any other type of active transportation to South Portland’s new middle school. The Thornton-Cash Byway connects the Thornton Heights, Cash Corner, and Ligonia neighborhoods to the middle school using local streets and trail connections as much as possible to create an alternative to busier roads.
The Neighborhood Byway Project Team worked in phases on this project, bringing it to fruition in 2025 with the help of a grant. Sustainability staff worked closely with Public Works to coordinate ADA accessibility, signage, road stencils and use of existing safe street crossings.
The Neighborhood Byway has three main goals:
- Connectivity - The route of a neighborhood byway is as direct as possible and avoids busy, arterial streets wherever possible.
- Wayfinding - Neighborhood byways guide byway users to their destinations by using road markings and signage.
- Comfort - Busy arterial streets can be dangerous, or at least perceived as unsafe for vulnerable road users. Neighborhood byways are designed to increase the comfort and actual safety of the user. Naturally, local streets have lower traffic volumes and speeds, which generally make it a safer place to be for a vulnerable road user.
During late summer and early fall, the City will be partnering with the school and local organizations to roll out a robust outreach and engagement program, which will serve to both (a) make people aware of and familiar with the Thornton-Cash Byway, and (b) promote the benefits and use of active transportation. View the interactive Thornton-Cash Byway Route Map to plan your trip.
Expansion of the Thornton-Cash Byway will include connecting to the future Multi-Use Trail and existing Greenbelt in South Portland.