Paving

Annual street paving program

The City of Dover's street paving program is an annual program to preserve the city’s roadway system. The City of Dover owns and maintains about 135 miles of paved roadways, which excludes state-owned roads such as the Spaulding Turnpike, Dover Point Road, Durham Road, Knox Marsh Road and Littleworth Road. The city invests yearly in preservation maintenance of the roadway system to maximize the roads’ service life while minimizing life cycle costs, and ultimately provide an operational roadway system for the community.

Roads to be paved are evaluated annually based on the city’s pavement management program, which considers the pavement condition, frequency of use, and available funding. Each year, an amount is appropriated for general street improvements through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and funded through the city's operating budget.

Roads that are severely degraded and require a complete reconstruction are candidates for a standalone CIP project that often incorporates upgrades of public utilities, such as water, sewer and stormwater drainage. Because these projects are significant and often require debt financing to complete, they are typically planned at least six-years out.

Roads with a structurally sufficient subbase are generally good candidates for pavement maintenance through the Street Paving Program to extend the service life of the road until funding becomes available for a complete street reconstruction through a CIP project. The CIP is part of the city’s community planning process. It maps out significant infrastructure projects and estimated costs over the next six years that are linked to goals and values outlined in Dover’s Master Plan. Click here to find more information about the CIP.

2025 Street paving program

Through the City Council's annual budgeting process, the Council allocated $2.1 million for general street improvements for the 2025 construction season. The City Council awarded this year's paving contract at its March 26, 2025 meeting to Continental Paving, Inc. for $2,158,905 after a competitive bid process. The contract is funded with appropriations of $218,258.33 from FY2023 capital outlay carry-forward funds, $1,275,927.69 from FY2024 capital outlay carry-forward funds, and $664,718.98 from FY2025 capital outlay funds.

Streets included in the program are listed below; however, some may not be paved this season due to weather, funding and other challenges.

For more information, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450.

Street	From	To	Length
Street	From	To	Feet	Miles
Back River Road	Piscataqua Road	Durham Road	8,284	1.6
Alumni Drive	Bellamy Road	Durham Road	1,783	0.3
Baker Street	East Concord Street	Broadway	856	0.2
Dover Street	Park Street	East Street	555	0.1
East Concord Street	Ham Street	Hill Street	871	0.2
Ela Street	Pearl Street	Oak Street	452	0.1
Everett Street	Ham Street	Baker Street	482	0.1
Ivans Lane	Dover Point Road	End	608	0.1
Old Dover Point Road	Dover Point Road (E)	Dover Point Road (W)	1,675	0.3
Ash Street	End	Central Avenue	1,570	0.3
Glenwood Avenue	Central Avenue	Glencrest Avenue	1,240	0.2
Hough Street	Horne Street	Hillcrest Street	515	0.1
Redden Street	Oak Hill Drive	Horne Street	2,785	0.5
Oak Hill Drive	Redden Street	Redden Street	1,026	0.2
Horn Street	Ash Street	Glenwood Avenue	2,848	0.5
Lincoln Street	Grove Street	Chestnut Street	613	0.1
Elmwood Avenue	End	Oak Street	798	0.2
Fairview Avenue	Oak Street	Elmwood Avenue	761	0.1
Cross Street	Atlantic Avenue	Elmwood Avenue	2,008	0.4
Belknap Street	Washington Street	Silver Street	1,277	0.2
Folsom Street	Cushing Street	Belknap Street	419	0.1
Angle Street	Academy Street	Central Avenue	295	0.1
Silver Street	178 Silver Street	Roundabout	800	0.2
Henry Law Avenue	Payne Street	Back Road	5,310	1.0
Total length:			37,831	7.2

2025 paving list specifications

Preservation Maintenance

The life cycle of a well-constructed road is generally 25 years to 35 years, and is impacted by traffic volume and weight, weather, environmental conditions, and maintenance. Proper maintenance performed on a regular schedule can substantially extend the life cycle of pavement. The preservation maintenance strategies utilized to extend the life cycle of Dover's roadway system seek to minimize cost and traffic disruption.

Crack Sealing

Cracks in roadways allow water to filter under the pavement surface and begin to undermine the gravel base gravel layers potentially causing pot holes. Hot poured crack sealant is applied to hinder further pavement deterioration. A crack sealing program is completed yearly separate from the annual street paving program.

Patch Paving

The width of a road is not subjected to the same traffic volume and loads; therefore, some areas of the road will fail while other areas remain structurally sound. Failed areas are considered areas in the roadway that have become depressed and may have broken pieces of pavement. These failed areas are removed and replaced with a thicker pavement section. Once a roadway section exhibits significant areas of patch paving, the roadway will qualify for cold planning and overlay.

Shim Overlay

Shim overlay consists of applying 1.25 inches of pavement over the existing paved surface. The shim overlay strengthens the existing pavement thickness and provides a smooth riding surface. Existing maintenance holes and catch basin covers are required to be raised prior to placing the shim overlay.

Cold Plane and Overlay

Cold planing consists of removing the surface of the existing pavement to a specific depth, and then a 1.5-inch pavement overlay is applied over the cold-planed surface. Cold planing creates grooves in the existing pavement to interlock with the new overlay, which provides a stronger pavement section. The cold plane and overlay strategy can be used to re-establish roadway cross-sections and improve drainage. As with the shim overlay strategy, existing maintenance hole and catch basin covers are required to be raised prior to placing the overlay.

Reclamation

Reclamation is the process of grinding the existing pavement in place and mixing it with the existing base gravel material to improve the strength of the base. The reclaimed material can be shaped to re-establish the roadway cross-section and improve drainage. After compaction of the reclaimed material, 3.5 inches of pavement is installed. Existing maintenance hole and catch basin covers are required to be adjusted, as needed, through the reclaim process.

Pavement Condition Management Program

The City of Dover uses a pavement management condition program to maintain road infrastructure efficiently, optimizing limited resources and ensuring long-term sustainability. This approach prioritizes cost-effective preventive maintenance — like crack sealing or overlays — to extend road life and avoid costly reconstructions wherever possible. It also supports long-term planning, enabling city staff to forecast future needs accurately.

The city has contracted with consultant experts to evaluate all city-maintained roads. It's last contracted evaluation was completed in 2022 and the subject of the Nov. 30, 2022 City Council workshop.

Click here for the workshop minutes, which includes the presentation slides.