Construction Impacts

Maple Haven 

Construction on the Contract One Sewer Rehabilitation Project will begin Wednesday, March 18, focusing on the Suzanne Drive - Wallis Road area. Work hours are generally 7 am to 4 pm. The contractor National Water Main Cleaning Company will be repairing a small section of sewer main on Wallis Road the week of March 16. The section of sewer main to be repaired is approximately 80-feet in length and will require excavation. 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. 

Congress Street

For the week of March 16, 2026:·

  • For the first half of the week (Mon-Tues), traffic on Congress Street will be reduced to one lane of traffic between Fleet Street and Maplewood Avenue for sewer and drain installation. 
  • Congress Street in that work area will be CLOSED BETWEEN FLEET ST AND MAPLEWOOD AVE WED MAR 18-FRI MAR 20 during regular working hours, 7 am to 4 pm. 

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.

NHDOT I-95 Southbound Sound Barriers

NHDOT Work to complete the soundwall/privacy fence on the section of I-95 southbound near New Franklin School started on January 26, 2026 (weather permitting) and is expected to be completed by March 15, 2026. This work is part of the construction of two sound abatement walls and privacy fence along I-95 in Portsmouth. Northeast Earth Mechanics, Inc. of Pittsfield, New Hampshire is the general contractor for the $18.7 million NHDOT project.