Press Releases/What’s New

The Stark Street Bridge will be closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic beginning on Monday, January 29th. The bridge will be completely replaced and will not be reopen until Columbus Day. Temporary lane closures on the Route 1 Bypass will be permitted during working operations. Additionally, brief complete traffic shut downs will be allowed on the Bypass between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Due to the current weather forecast, COAST has decided to cancel all public transit service for tomorrow, January 4th, 2018. Please click here for full details, and visit http://www.coastbus.org for ongoing updates. The expectation is that COAST will return to regular operations on Friday, January 5th. 

On New Year’s Eve, Pro Portsmouth will also be hosting its annual First Night® event in the downtown area. The Hanover Parking Garage will be offering a $5 flat fee parking rate during these activities beginning at 3 p.m.; past experience has shown that space at Hanover Garage is limited for this event.

Beginning on Monday, December 4th, portions of Bridge Street will be closed until January 4, 2018 in order to complete sewer and utility work associated with the construction of the Foundry Place parking garage. This area spans Hill Street and Deer Street, with closures on the intersection of Deer and Bridge Streets, and the end of Hill Street heading into Bridge Street. Access to all local businesses in this area will be maintained during this time.

After a successful first season, Portsmouth’s bike-share program, operated by Zagster, Inc., has closed up shop for the winter months. As with the City’s bicycle corrals (on-street bike parking) on Daniel Street and Market Street, the City is “hibernating” the bikes and stations during the winter months to avoid conflicts with snow clearing operations. This will also enable all of the bikes to receive maintenance.

Beginning on Thursday, November 30th, a detour will be in place redirecting outbound traffic on Bartlett Street. Unitil will be working on Bartlett Street gas lines at the railroad bridge near Islington Street. Due to the constrained roadway configuration and proximity to Islington Street, Bartlett Street will be closed to traffic from Islington Street during working hours for about a week. During evenings and weekends, the roadway will be fully open. Traffic on Bartlett Street heading to Islington Street will not be detoured during this work.

Portsmouth Public Works will hold a public meeting on Thursday, November 30th at 6:30 p.m. in the New Franklin School cafeteria to present findings from traffic data collection on Echo Avenue, Farm Lane, Woodbury Avenue and Rockingham Avenue. City staff will also be seeking feedback from residents on possible options to address cut-through traffic and pedestrian safety on Echo Avenue.

Please contact Eric Eby, Parking and Transportation Engineer, at (603) 766-1415 or ebeby@cityofportsmouth.com with any questions. 

PORTSMOUTH, NH – Registration for the 2017-2018 Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program is set to get underway Tuesday, October 24th.  The permit will allow employees who work in Portsmouth’s downtown area to park at the Isles of Shoals Steamship Co. parking lot where 51 spaces will be available from Nov. 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018.  Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis at the parking clerk’s office at 1 Junkins Ave. in Portsmouth City Hall.

PORTSMOUTH, NH – This year the East Coast Greenway (ECG) Alliance, the country’s longest biking and walking route, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Portsmouth will be welcoming an East Coast River Relay team on Friday morning in Prescott Park to help commemorate this occasion and the Greenway’s efforts in connecting 15 states, 450 cities and towns, and 3,000 miles of people-powered trails from Maine to Florida.