Construction Impacts

Congress Street

For the week of March 2:· CONGRESS STREET ROAD CLOSURE BETWEEN FLEET STREET AND MAPLEWOOD AVENUE: WED MAR 4 THROUGH FRI MAR 6 (weather permitting) for sewer and drainage line crossings. 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 work day. 

Temporary water services and fire service installation on Congress between Fleet Street and Maplewood Avenue. Traffic will be reduced one lane of traffic on Congress Street on Monday and Tuesday through the work zones during completion of temporary water service connections.

Test pits to be dug in front of Sinneore Cannoli with impacts to the sidewalk.

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.

Elwyn Road

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works is hosting an Elwyn Road Reconstruction Project Public Information Meeting in the DPW Training Room (680 Peverly Hill Road in Portsmouth) library on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 6 pm. This is a hybrid meeting held in-person and via Zoom. Register to participate by Zoom. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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.