PORTSMOUTH — The Maplewood Avenue Bridge will be temporarily closed starting Monday, Aug. 26, for structural repairs to the dam over North Mill Pond, the city said. The $4 million project includes culvert repairs and other safety improvements.
Work is scheduled to take place weekdays from 7am to 6pm, but some work will need to be done at low tide, which will impact the project when work is being done on the culvert under the bridge. The bridge will be closed on weekends.
Once the bridge takes shape again in the fall, the city says it will partially reopen, with flag posts deployed to direct alternating traffic to one lane while workers complete the walkways and railings.
The project is expected to be substantially completed in November, with final paving planned for spring 2025.
Traffic on Maplewood Avenue will be diverted via the Route 1 Bypass and Market Street. The Bartlett Street project is also progressing and additional access will soon be available there.
The condition of this bridge was included in the 2018 citywide bridge assessment. This assessment determined that rehabilitation of the arch with a bonded lining system was feasible to extend the life of the bridge without the cost of an immediate full replacement. This rehabilitation work includes resurfacing the roadway, replacing the bridge’s guardrails, rebuilding the curb and walkways, and repairing the bridge walls. This repair work is intended to rehabilitate the bridge and make it passable for at least another 10 years. Extending the timeframe for full replacement has improved the city’s chances of receiving the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s 80% of State Bridge Aid Program funding for a full replacement in the future.
