Construction Impacts

Contract One Sewer Rehabilitation

Construction on the Contract One Sewer Rehabilitation Project began Wednesday, March 18. The Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation and Improvements – Contract 1 project is required by the City’s Consent Decree with the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of the project is to remove Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) in the City’s sewer collection system. I/I is when stormwater and groundwater enter the sewer collection system through deterioration in the sewer pipes or manholes. This results in increased sewer flows, more frequent Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events, and increased sewer costs through pumping and treatment of otherwise clean water. The City accepted funds through the American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) to assist with costs related to design and construction. The ARPA funding deadline means the project must be completed by April 1, 2026.

  • Greenleaf Avenue & Vicinity

As part of the Contract 1 Sewer Rehabilitation project, the City is repairing a ten-foot section of sewer main located in the parking lot of Wamesit Place, a Portsmouth Housing Authority property (31 Holiday Drive), The open trench work is complete but the main still needs to be lined. Greenleaf Avenue will remain CLOSED between Lafayette Road and the Route 1 Bypass through Friday, April 3, 2026, between 7 am and 4 pm. For more, visit the project page. The project requires drilling out ledge, which will take place for several days, starting Tuesday, March 31.

Elwyn Road

Construction started Tuesday, March 17, with alternating, single-lane traffic from 7 am to 6 pm. Flaggers will be in place to assist. The Department of Public Works hosted an Elwyn Road Reconstruction Project Public Information Meeting in the DPW Training Room (680 Peverly Hill Road in Portsmouth) on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. For meeting presentations, background and more information, visit the project page.

Congress Street

For the week of April 6, 2026:

  • Sewer and drainage installations in the easterly sidewalk. Congress Street is reduced to one lane in the work area. 
  • Fleet Street -- no closures on Monday or Tuesday, but Wednesday-Friday closures will vary as the crew works in the intersection of Fleet Street and Congress Street. Fleet Street will be closed either from Porter to Congress or from Hanover to Congress depending on the sequence of work. Message boards and traffic signs will be deployed in advance to notify motorists. Pedestrians will still be able to access and use sidewalks in the closure area. Businesses remain open and deliveries will be accommodated. Normal traffic circulation will be restored at the end of each workday.

The project work proceeds towards Maplewood Avenue with the sewer and drainage installations before moving on to begin work between Vaughan Mall and Fleet Street. This portion of work will also include the restoration of Congress Street in the fall of ’26 beginning after Labor Day. Work is scheduled to take place daily, Monday through Friday but there may be brief interruptions if conditions become too severe for crews to work effectively.

A pre-construction public information meeting for the project was held on December 9, 2025. For more information, visit the meeting presentation, the video recording of the meeting and the project page.