DPW Press Releases

The Portsmouth Department of Public Works is responsible for maintaining all of the City’s public works of art, ranging from Jerome Meadows’ fragile ceramic tiles embedded in the African Burying Ground Memorial to the massive steel sculpture by Terrance Parker commissioned for the Foundry Place Garage. One of the works that recently received special attention from DPW Facilities engineers is the Cabot Lyford sculpture, My Mother the Wind that has stood on Four Tree Island for the past 45 years.

As the Department of Public Works prepares to start field work, they will host a second Public Input Meeting on the Fleet Street Reconstruction Project, via Zoom, on November 10 at 6:30 pm. For Zoom registration instructions, click here.

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works has identified the need to replace a Peirce Island sewer force main pipe that carries wastewater from the Mechanic Street Wastewater Pumping Station to the Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility. The first step in this process is to install a temporary sewer force main along the ground on Peirce Island, stretching from the entrance to the boat launch parking lot to the Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The arrival of the autumnal equinox and cooler weather are good reminders that now is a good time for residents to consider some fall clean-up suggestions that will assist the Department of Public Works with its preparations for winter.

Portsmouth Public Schools have started a new school year and with teachers, parents and students adjusting to new schedules for in-school learning, drivers are urged to be extra cautious on city streets and to watch for crossing guards at key locations around the city.

With more downtown businesses reopening to employees who require parking, the City of Portsmouth DPW Park/Portsmouth Division offers a reminder that the Downtown Workforce Parking Program is available year-round.

The Portsmouth DPW Water Division begins the routine flushing of the City’s fire hydrants and water mains on Monday, September 21. Flushing is scheduled between 7 pm and 11 pm, Monday through Thursday for the next six weeks. The flushing operation covers both public and private hydrants in Portsmouth, New Castle, Rye, Greenland and Newington. Crews open select fire hydrants, releasing water with enough velocity to carry sediment out of the pipes.

The Portsmouth Department of Public Works will hold its biannual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, October 3, 2020, at the Public Works facility at 680 Peverly Hill Road. Residents of Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington are encouraged to bring household chemicals for safe disposal between 8 am and 12 noon. Proof of residency is required.

Continuing work on the Islington Street Corridor Reconstruction Project will affect the section between Bartlett Street and Cass Street, starting Monday, September 14.  Crews have begun removing curbing and sidewalk and installing a temporary water system in that area, in preparation for the replacement of underground utility systems (sewer, water, and drain) and the reconstruction of the roadway and sidewalk.