Construction Impacts

Line-Painting

The City will be painting the center stripes on the roads starting Sunday night April 27 from 9 pm to 5 am. Continuing on Monday night, April 28 and Tuesday night, April 29. Please give them room. 

Hanover Garage

Starting Monday, April 28, the Hanover Street main entrance will be closed on weekdays until 5 pm. That entrance will reopen at 5 pm and be open on weekends. Work continues through June 16, 2025. The High Street Elevator remains operational during the construction. The Hanover Garage is in year two of a three-year renovation. Questions? Contact the Parking Office at 603-610-7257. Go to the Hanover Garage Project page for more information.

SEASONAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Islington Street Phase 2B

Work on the traffic signals structure at the intersection of Islington/Congress Streets and Maplewood/Middle starts on Tuesday, April 29. Flaggers will be in place to direct traffic. Expect delays. Phase 2a Construction Area – Dover Street to Cornwall: Plant trees. Phase 2b Construction Area Section 1- Cornwall Street to Langdon Street: Plant trees. Section 2 – Langdon Street to Maplewood Ave: Install tree pits, lighting and curbs. Form and pour concrete sidewalks on north side of the road. Sidewalk prep construction on south side of road. One-lane alternating traffic will be in place on Islington Street to accommodate contractor operations. Flaggers and project personnel will be on site to facilitate traffic flow. By the end of the summer season, all portions of the Islington Street project should be complete. For the project overview: March 19, 2024 public meeting presentation and video recording, additional background information and to sign up to receive weekly updates on the project when it starts, visit the project page.

Greenleaf Avenue Sidewalks Project

This project consists of constructing new sidewalks along West side of Lafayette Road from South Street to Greenleaf Avenue and on Greenleaf Avenue from Lafayette Road to upper Hillside Drive. Public information meeting on the project was held on April 16. Go to the meeting video recording and the presentation. For more information and to sign up to receive email updates on the project, go to the project page.

Bartlett Street Project

The final work on this project (to place the final pavement, roadway striping, raised crosswalk at Pine Street, raised intersection at Thornton Street, touch up the loam and re-seed) is currently being scheduled with the Contractor with an anticipated start later this Spring. The Morning Street scope of work is currently on HOLD and will be reevaluated along with future phases of work in the Creek Neighborhood. During the week of March 31, 2025 DPW Urban Forest crews will be planting new trees along the Bartlett Street corridor as part of the City’s annual planting program. For the March 27, 2024 public meeting presentation and video recording, additional background information and to sign up to receive weekly updates on the project when it starts, visit the project page.

Maplewood Avenue Bridge Project

Maplewood Avenue Bridge is AGAIN CLOSED TO VEHICLES to finish utility upgrades and to replace the roadbed and north side sidewalks and railings. The bridge will remain closed through mid-June. Once the north side of the bridge is finished, the current plan is to open one lane of the bridge for traffic heading toward downtown for the balance of the bridge work as the contractor replaces the sidewalks and railings on the south side. The current schedule shows the bridge work being complete in early November. Pedestrians and cyclists (walking their bikes) will have access across the bridge on whatever side is not currently under construction.  For detour options, the meeting presentation, design plans, additional background and to sign up to receive weekly updates on the project when it starts, visit the project page.

Union Street Project

MAC Construction will return in early May 2025 to raise catch basins, manhole covers, and other castings to prepare for final paving. Final paving of Union Street (State to Middle), Coffins Court, and the remaining driveway aprons will follow. The work is anticipated to finish prior to summer. . For more information in the April 2, 2024 meeting presentation and video recording and to sign up to receive weekly updates on the project when it starts, visit the project page.

Willard Avenue Project

Seasonal construction resumed Monday, April 7. Unitil will begin gas work on Monday, April 21. Next week, the Contractor, N. Granese & Sons, will continue to backfill the new curbing and begin prepping for the new sidewalks. There will be one-way alternating traffic in their work areas. A public information meeting on the 2025 project work was held on April 2. Go to the meeting presentation and video recording from that meeting. For the original project preconstruction meeting presentation and video recording, more information and to sign up for future email updates, visit the project page.

Sagamore Avenue Project

Utility pole transfers, curbing and final pavement is anticipated this spring. In addition, the plan is to construct a new sidewalk along the NHDOT roadway of Sagamore Avenue from approximately 1171 Sagamore Avenue to Odiorne Point Road. For details go to the meeting recording and minutes. For more information, visit the project page.

Middle/Miller/Summer Street Intersection Signals 

Construction will be ongoing between April and November as long lead-time signal equipment is delivered. Electric Light is the contractor. For more information, visit the project page.

African Burying Ground Memorial, Adjacent Waterline

Work to install a 2” waterline and 1” service connections under the sidewalk on the Court and Fleet Street corner (bank parking lot side) adjacent to the memorial is complete. The contractor is allowing the ground to dry before rebuilding the sidewalk and curbing. Then the chip sealer will be applied. Work is scheduled to be completed before Juneteenth. The African Burying Ground Memorial Committee has reviewed the plans.

Little Bay Road Water Main Replacement

This joint project with the Town of Newington involves the installation of an eight-inch ductile iron water main and the replacement of 25 water services and four hydrants. Upon completion, the road will be patched and prepared for final pavement by the Town of Newington. The project is scheduled to commence the week of April 21, 2025 and be completed by mid-summer. A public information meeting was held on April 8, 2025 at the Newington Town Hall (336 Nimble Hill Rd, Newington, NH 03801). For more information, visit the project page.

Spring Hydrant Flushing

Routine hydrant flushing that takes place each spring started on Monday April 14, 2025. Flushing takes approximately 6 weeks as crews rotate through the hydrant network between 7 and 11 pm, Monday through Thursday evenings. A City DPW truck will flashing yellow lights is the signal for work in the immediate area. Residents are advised to run cold water through the tap if any discoloration lingers after the hydrant flushing as sediment gets disturbed as the water is flushed through the pipes.

I-95 SOUND BARRIER CONSTRUCTION

Work to install the sound wall continues. Exit 7 southbound onto I-95 from Market Street will be closed from mid-April to June for construction related to the project. Governor Sununu and the Executive Council at their September 25, 2024 meeting authorized the NH Department of Transportation (NHDOT) to enter into a contract with Northeast Earth Mechanics, LLC of Pittsfield, NH for the construction of sound abatement walls and privacy fencing along I-95 in Portsmouth. The contract amount is $18,771,486.75. For full details and background visit the project page.

ROUTE 16 ON- AND OFF-RAMP RESURFACING

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and Pike Industries have started pavement resurfacing on Route 16 (Spaulding Turnpike) from the Portsmouth Traffic Circle north into Newington. Work includes all the on and off ramps to and from I-95, Gosling Road, and Arthur Brady Drive. Most of this work will occur at overnight, beginning after the evening rush hour. Exact start times will depend on the location of the work. The project is expected to be complete in early June.

NH DOT LAFAYETTE ROAD (ROUTE 1) PROJECT

NH Department of Transportation (NH DOT) hosted a public information meeting on its Lafayette Road (Route 1) Corridor Improvement Project on November 18, 2024 as a City Council Work Session. For background visit the Project Website (Portsmouth 29640) with the full US Route 1 Corridor Plan. NH DOT also advises that anyone with comments or concerns about this project should contact David Smith, P.E. - Project Manager, NH Department of Transportation | P.O. Box 483, Concord NH 03302