Press Releases/What’s New

Public Works and Sargent Corporation will be hosting a public meeting at the Department of Public Works (680 Peverly Hill Road) on Wednesday, April 3rd at 6 p.m. to discuss the next phase of the Maplewood Avenue reconstruction project.

After a public meeting at the end of 2018, followed by a February 2019 work session with the Conservation Commission, the City of Portsmouth is finalizing the conceptual design developed for the North Mill Pond Trail.

Construction of a new sidewalk along Spinney Road from the Sewell Road area to Middle Road is anticipated to begin in early April. The City has awarded this project to Advanced Excavation, whose work will include a new concrete sidewalk following the east side of Spinney Road. This work is anticipated to last several weeks, with traffic impacts due to equipment in the roadway.

The Pleasant Street Reconstruction Project, which began last summer, is resuming this week. Work will begin at the South Mill Pond tidal outlet on Marcy Street; this work will include the water main replacement under the culvert. Residents' water access will not be affected and they can anticipate this work to be completed by Friday, April 12th.

Public Works crews recently installed a platform ideal for eagle or osprey nesting behind the Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility. The platform, built by Steve Miller of Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, came to fruition thanks to a $1,500 grant from Northeast Utilities, now Eversource, obtained by the City’s Sustainability Department.

Similar to other special City events in the past, those attending 3S Artspace’s (3S) Project Upcycle Runway Event on Saturday, March 30th, will be able to park at the Foundry Place Parking Garage for a discounted rate.

After 22 years with the City of Portsmouth, City Manager John Bohenko has announced his retirement effective January 3, 2020.

John has led an accomplished tenure in Portsmouth, where his fiscal policies and financial acumen resulted in stable and predictable budgeting, as well as five successive increases in the City's bond rating to ultimately result in a AAA bond rating. Portsmouth also maintains the lowest equalized tax rate of all thirteen New Hampshire cities.

City staff, along with their design engineers from McFarland Johnson, will be hosting a public meeting at the Department of Public Works at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27th to review preliminary design plans for Peverly Hill Road.

Detailed inspections of the Kearsarge Way Bridge over the Pan Am railroad tracks is tentatively scheduled to be conducted on Monday, March 25th, depending on weather conditions. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanning of the deck will be used to evaluate the condition of the concrete beneath the asphalt pavement, and concrete core samples will be collected to test the strength of the concrete. This work will be conducted from the deck level, with personnel occupying one lane of the bridge for the duration of the work.