DPW Press Releases

As part of the Maplewood Avenue reconstruction project, Maplewood Avenue spanning Edmond Avenue to Woodbury Avenue will be shut down to traffic starting on September 17th and lasting through mid-December.

The City of Portsmouth and the United States Air Force have recently signed their latest agreement to treat perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from water supplied by the Smith, Harrison and Haven Wells serving the Pease Tradeport drinking water system. The agreement will provide the City with up to $14.3 million to reimburse the cost of construction of the final treatment system for all three wells, which will include a dual filtration system consisting of resin and granular activated carbon filters. 

As part of the Pleasant Street Reconstruction Project, roadwork reconstruction will also begin between Junkins Avenue and through the Court Street intersection on Wednesday, September 5th. The initial work will consist of underground utility installation, followed by the complete reconstruction of the roadway. In total this work will take a few weeks and will include lane closures at times that will impact traffic.

Beginning Tuesday, September 4th, crews will begin the paving project on Market Street spanning from where the Albacore Museum is located up to the Woodbury Avenue intersection. The commercial portion of Woodbury Avenue will also be paved from Market Street to the Newington Town line. This work will take about a month to complete and will include some traffic impacts.  

While significant rainfall at the end of July into August was beneficial at the time for Portsmouth's water supply, the extreme heat conditions continue to place strain on the City's water system. The ongoing heat increases water supply demands and places further stress to treat quality issues due to added organics within the water. Additionally, the annual precipitation average remains below normal due to the dry spring and the City continues to operate without the support of the Haven Well.

The City of Portsmouth’s Water Division has been named a recipient of the New England Water Works Association’s (NEWWA) Public Communications Award; this award recognizes excellence in communications through comprehensive public outreach materials and programs.

The City of Portsmouth’s Department of Public Works have again employed the services of two University of New Hampshire graduates who interned in their Geographic Information System (GIS) department this year. Working under the guidance of the City’s GIS Coordinator, Jamie McCarty, Evan Silva and Thomas Nethercott used global positioning equipment, cameras and own observations to inspect the City’s water infrastructure and compile data for other City initiatives.

As part of the City’s Lafayette Road and Andrew Jarvis Drive intersection improvement project, extensive utility work resulting in traffic delays will occur Thursday, August 9th through Monday, August 13th; this will include a complete road closure of Lafayette Road, between Greenleaf Avenue and the Route 1 bypass, on Monday, August 13th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.