Construction Impacts

Congress Street

The City is working toward the goal of paving June 8-10 and completion of this phase of the project by June 13.

For the week of June 1, 2026:

  • Road excavation and gravel work continues on Congress Street.
  • Gas relocation and conduit installation within intersection of Fleet Street & Congress Street
  • Congress Street reduced to one lane  
  • Fleet Street closures throughout the week

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 2026 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.

Congress & State Street

Paving anticipated for June 8-10. 

  • State Street from Middle Street to Memorial Bridge
  • Pleasant Street from Porter Street to State Street
  • Daniel Street from Memorial Bridge to Chapel Street

Pavement Management - Resurfacing

Resurfacing -  Weather permitting, a parking ban will be in effect for the micro-surfacing treatment, starting at 7 am on Thurs June 11 and Friday June 12 for:  

  • Richards Avenue
  • Rockland Street
  • Sherburne Avenue 
  • Elwyn Avenue
  • McNabb Court

Downtown Sidewalk Work 

Downtown Sidewalk Repair is continuing. Crews are working on the tip-down ramps that facilitate access in Market Square and on State and Pleasant Streets. Pedestrians are being redirected to the next crosswalk.

Elwyn Road

Construction continues, with alternating, single-lane traffic from 7 am to 6 pm. Onsite personnel will notify residents in person by knocking on doors. Brief water service outages are expected. 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.

Elwyn Park

 Wetland permitting required for the work is currently in process. Basement inspections required for underground utility design have concluded. Public comments regarding proposed traffic improvements on Van Buren are currently being evaluated

NH-DOT 

Median Barrier & Guardrail Installation on I-95

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) continues day and night work to install a median barrier and guardrail on I-95 northbound and southbound between Mile Marker (MM) 8.0 in North Hampton and MM 13.2 in Portsmouth. This work is expected to continue through September 2026. Single lane closures and shoulder closures are being implemented for nightwork on northbound I-95 to facilitate this work. Southbound work will follow once the northbound is complete. Road users are also encouraged to sign up for free, real-time construction and traffic related messages.