DPW Press Releases

Public Works Deputy Director Brian Goetz recently joined a group discussion with New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) on water conservation and managing current drought conditions. You can listen to the interview here.

For more information on drought conditions:

Guided public tours of the Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) construction site will be conducted on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. City staff, along with others involved in the construction of the Peirce Island WWTF upgrade project, will be guiding interested parties through the construction site to provide an opportunity to observe the status of the ongoing construction.

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.

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.

The City of Portsmouth has a sewer improvement project that will consist of the replacement of existing sewer pipes in Goosebay Drive and also in Corporate Drive from Rye Street to Goosebay Drive. The City received bids in March and has awarded the construction contract to Sargent Corporation of Stillwater, ME. Sargent Corporation will begin construction on the sewer improvements later in the month of June.

Throughout the day on Monday, June 11th, crews will be paving Islington Street spanning Route 33 (the Plains ballfield) and the Route 1 Bypass. These operations will result in the closure of that stretch of road from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and traffic detours; drivers are encouraged to seek alternative routes.

Additionally, final paving operations are scheduled to occur on Thursday, June 14th on the Brewster and McDonough Streets’ area, weather permitting.

Market Square Day in Portsmouth

Chief Merner will be invoking his ‘Emergency Powers” and orders that NO Parking will be permitted on the following Portsmouth streets on Saturday, June 9th, due to the Annual Market Square Day and Market Square Day Road Race.