Granite curbing installation continues,
driveway apron paving begins week of Dec. 2
Fifth Street becomes a one-way street between Chestnut and Fourth streets, flowing westerly on, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. Please follow all posted signs.
No work will occur on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, or Friday, Nov. 29.
The installation of granite curbing for Fifth and Grove streets will be completed the week of Dec. 2. The contractor will also install the base layer pavement for driveway aprons next week.
Due to the colder and below-freezing temperatures, the contractor will not be able to pour sidewalk concrete before the end of this year's construction season, as the city originally anticipated. This will be completed in the spring instead. Attempting to install the concrete now would likely result in poor-quality concrete with potential cracking from freezing and thawing before it can cure, which can compromise its strength and durability. Overall project utility work took longer than expected, leading to the delay in the sidewalk completion.
That said, the contractor will be bringing the sidewalks to grade and placing crushed gravel as a top layer before work concludes for the season. The crushed stone will allow it to be traversed on foot; however, those with mobility issues may have some difficulty. To avoid damaging the sidewalks before the concrete can be poured, the city will not be plowing them this winter season.
Street closures, parking restrictions
The curb installation will require intermittent closing of street sections within the project area. When closed, vehicle access to/from properties will be limited, and on-street parking will be prohibited. Paving driveway aprons will require closing individual driveways. The contractor will continue distributing door notices to alert residents when they will impact access to their properties.
The contractor will soon cease construction work for the season. They will return in the spring/early summer to complete the concrete sidewalks and restoration efforts, including planting new grass and street trees. They will also pave the top course on the streets and driveway aprons, allowing the soil to settle through the winter.
Unitil utility work ongoing
Unitil will continue relocating the gas main on Fifth Street between Grove and Chestnut and renewing services to individual units in the same section. The work is anticipated to be completed by Friday, Dec. 13. No work will occur on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28.
The renewing of gas services will require brief, individual shutoffs. Unitil will distribute door notices and notify residents in advance of any work that will impact their property.
Questions or concerns? Please contact:
Jillian Semprini, City of Dover – Assistant Engineer
603-516-6450
j.semprini@dover.nh.gov
Hakan Coban, Woodard and Curran – Onsite Resident Project Representative
978-775-2046
Hakan.Coban@WoodardCurran.com
Tree removal
As a matter of policy, the City of Dover tries to avoid tree removal at all costs unless necessary for a project.
Last year, the city contracted with a consultant expert to complete a city-wide condition and assessment of all public-owned sidewalks and pedestrian ramps. The consultant rated the sidewalk conditions in the Fifth and Grove project area to be poor to fair condition, and most were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The project will provide five-foot-wide concrete ADA sidewalks compliant to ensure they are accessible for all. In most locations, they will also include a vegetated buffer between the sidewalk and the road. Unfortunately, 15 trees are being removed to provide an adequate and safe travel way, with sidewalks and parking on both sides of the street within the limited public right-of-way. However, 19 new trees will be planted, including Red Maple, Northern Red Oak and Sweet Gum Tree. These improvements will ultimately benefit the neighborhood by ensuring a safer, more functional, and resilient infrastructure.
The project is in line with the City of Dover’s Central Business District (CBD) Street Tree Plan, endorsed by the Planning Board, which includes provisions for strategic tree replacements. The CBD Street Tree Plan prioritizes the retention of existing trees, when possible, but recognizes the need to remove trees that are no longer appropriate for a site. The city views street trees as a critical part of an urban forest that provides a wide range of ecological, social, and economic benefits. Among the city’s goals for enhancing tree canopy cover include improving stormwater management, filtering air pollutants, and lowering surface and air temperatures, as stated in the CBD Street Plan and the Master Plan’s Climate Adaptation Chapter. Street trees planted today typically have tap roots and deeper and more vertical roots as they have been found to promote greater infiltration than species with fibrous roots and more lateral, shallower roots. Deeper roots can help preserve sidewalks longer than trees with roots that tend to spread horizontally.
Careful consideration has been put into the recommended species selections in the CBD Street Tree Plan due to the environment that street trees inhabit which can involve poor drainage, limited sunlight, concentration of car exhaust and animal waste, and the presence of public infrastructure that can incur damage from tree roots and branches as well as interfere with tree growth. As part of the Fifth and Grove project outreach, the public also participated in surveys to help the city decide which trees to plant.
With all of these aspects in mind, the new street trees will be planted in a manner that promotes the life of the tree and a sustainable and aesthetically pleasing streetscape, contributing to the overall improvements of the project. There is also an effort underway to plant an additional 20 street trees in other areas around the CBD in the near term.
City Council awards construction bid
The Dover City Council at its March 27, 2024 meeting unanimously authorized awarding the construction bid for the Fifth and Grove Reconstruction Project to N. Granese & Sons of Salem, Massachusetts for a cost not to exceed $5,147,405. Click here for the resolution.
The Council also authorized engineering consultant Woodard & Curran, of Andover, Massachusetts to provide construction oversight, which includes a resident engineer on the project site, for $436,000. This brings their contract total to $713,409, which also includes creating engineered construction documents. Click here for the resolution.
City staff will organize a neighborhood meeting with the public and the contractor to discuss the project scope and impacts before work begins, which is anticipated to start later this spring.
