Press Releases/What’s New

The City of Portsmouth, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, will be closing the exit ramp to Echo Avenue from the Spaulding Turnpike on Friday, July 20, 2018. The closure is planned to be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a six-month trial period. The closure is intended to reduce the volume of traffic using Echo Avenue as a “cut-through” from the Turnpike to Woodbury Avenue.

In 2016, the City of Portsmouth engaged in a pilot program to test the effectiveness of Passport Parking’s mobile parking payment application in the City’s Bridge Street and Worth parking lots. With mobile payment applications, users register to pay for parking, monitor their session and extend time remotely (up to the maximum allotted time) all through their smartphone. When properly functioning, the Passport Pilot program offered features and convenience that garnered positive feedback from the public.

The Portsmouth Community Development Department is now accepting applications for the FY 2019 Public Facility and Accessibility Improvements Grant Program. The funding for this program is provided by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The City of Portsmouth has received two awards for exceptional financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the publication of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR). The GFOA is a professional organization of public officials united to enhance and promote the professional management of governmental financial resources by identifying, developing and advancing fiscal strategies, policies and practices for the public benefit.

The Portsmouth Water Division has released their monthly Water Supply Status Report for July. According to the latest report, there are no water use restrictions at this time; however, due to the below normal precipitation pattern and high water demand, Portsmouth water customers are encouraged to:

The Foundry Place Garage on Deer Street is scheduled to open in October 2018. In addition to lower hourly rates, the monthly pass holder rates at Foundry Place will be a reduced cost of $100 for City of Portsmouth residents, and $125 for non-residents.

With many active paving projects this summer, Public Works will continue to issue periodic updates on the latest paving activities for the community to be aware of. This week, weather permitting, people can anticipate:

The City of Portsmouth has a utility and roadway reconstruction project that includes the replacement of water mains, improvements to the sewer and drainage system, roadway reconstruction, bike lanes, sidewalks, and curbing for a section of Maplewood Avenue. The City received bids in March and has awarded the construction contract to Sargent Corporation of Stillwater, ME. Sargent is scheduled to begin construction the week of July 9th. The project is anticipated to require two construction seasons to complete. 

The Department of Public Works has announced that a routine inspection of the existing Peirce Island Road Bridge will be conducted on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. This is a planned, non-emergency inspection and will involve a visual inspection of components of the bridge including the base, deck, railing system and above-water portions of the abutments and piers.