FRIDAY, SEPT. 10, 2021
Night work begins this Sunday, Sept. 12
 
The Central Avenue North Water Improvements contractor will conduct night work next week, beginning Sunday, Sept. 12.
 
Contractors will be cutting pavement, excavating and installing valves for the new water main. The work area will be along Central Avenue from Lowell Avenue to Abbey Sawyer Memorial Drive but mostly focused at the Lowell Avenue intersection. Traffic will be restricted to one lane through the work area, alternated by flaggers.

The work is being done at night to avoid significant traffic backups in the area during the daytime.
 
Work hours will be from 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 12 to Monday, Sept. 13. The rest of the week through Friday morning, work will begin at 9 p.m. and conclude at 5 a.m. the following morning.
 
During the day Friday, the contractor will lay temporary trench pavement on the week's work areas.
 
Southbound Central Avenue detour planned for week of Sept. 20
 
The contractor will return to daytime hours on Monday, Sept. 20, to lay pipe on Central Avenue from Lowell Avenue to Abbey Sawyer Memorial Drive.
 
To help reduce traffic queues and wait times, southbound Central Avenue traffic will be diverted via Lowell Avenue or Abbott Street to Mount Vernon Street to rejoin Central Avenue via Reservoir, Ash, Hough or Sixth streets. This traffic diversion will require temporary parking restrictions posted along portions of Mount Vernon Street to accommodate larger vehicles and transit buses.
 
Northbound traffic will continue to flow through the work zone. Motorists who can avoid the area entirely are encouraged to do so.
The area highlighted in orange is where night work will occur on Central Avenue beginning Sunday, Sept. 12, as part of the Central Avenue North Water Improvements Project.
Project overview
The Central Avenue North Water Improvements Project replaces two sections of water mains. One is a 133-year-old 14-inch water main from Lowell Avenue to Abbey Sawyer Memorial Drive, a critical piece of the City of Dover’s water system infrastructure. The other is an undersized six-inch water main from Glenwood Avenue to Lowell Avenue installed in 1927. Both mains will be replaced with 16-inch ductile iron pipes that are expected to last the next 100-150 years. The project will significantly improve reliability and fire flow capacity. The improvements will also provide better interconnection between the City’s two pressure zones, increasing the water system’s reliability throughout the City.

The project is anticipated to be substantially complete by mid to late December, weather permitting. A complete street paving overlay will occur next spring.

After a competitive bid process, the City Council awarded the construction contract to N. Granese & Sons, Inc. of Salem, Massachusetts, the same contractor as the Washington and Main Water Improvements Project that is nearing completion.

The project is expected to create traffic backups in and near the project area. Residents and businesses in the construction area with questions or concerns should contact Deputy Community Services Director Bill Boulanger at b.boulanger@dover.nh.gov or 516-6450. Boulanger is the project manager.

The City of Dover provides frequent email updates about the project to help residents and businesses plan for disruption along Central Avenue. To sign-up for these updates, visit https://bit.ly/dovernewsletters, add “Project update: Central Avenue North Water Improvements Project” to your current email subscription list.
The above map shows the project area for the replacement of the water main along Central Avenue from Glennwood Avenue to Abbey Sawyer Memorial Drive, the entrance to Garrison Hill.