|
Updated two-week project outlook
Next week, the project contractor, N. Granese & Sons, Inc., will install the temporary water bypass system – no water shutoffs are planned. On Thursday, the contractor is scheduled to saw-cut trenches in the road, which will disrupt traffic.
-
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day – no work
-
Tuesday, May 21: Mobilization / Site prep and layout / Temporary water bypass installation
-
Wednesday, May 22: Mobilization / Site prep and layout / Temporary water bypass installation
-
Thursday, May 23: Temporary water bypass installation / Trench cutting
-
Friday, May 24: Temporary water bypass installation
During the week of June 3, the contractor plans to connect properties to the temporary water bypass system. This work will require temporary water shutoffs to allow the connections; notice of individual water shutoffs will be given 24-hour notice.
-
Monday, June 3: Drainage installation on Fifth Street, from Fourth to Grove / Water bypass service connections
-
Tuesday, June 4: Drainage installation on Fifth Street, from Fourth to Grove / Water bypass service connections
-
Wednesday, June 5: Drainage installation on Fifth Street, from Fourth to Grove / Water bypass service connections
-
Thursday, June 6: Drainage installation on Fifth Street, from Fourth to Grove
-
Friday, June 7: Drainage installation on Fifth Street, from Fourth to Grove
Please return 'Permission to Enter' forms
The city still needs Permission to Enter forms from a few property owners. Permission to Enter temporarily allows the contractor to be on private property to perform project work, such as constructing sidewalks.
Please return the forms to the City of Dover as soon as possible. Questions? Contact Assistant City Engineer Jillian Semprini at j.semprini@dover.nh.gov or 603-516-6450.
Necessity of tree removal
As a matter of policy, the City of Dover avoids removing trees in the public right of way unless necessary for a project/infrastructure or safety concerns. To ensure the new sidewalks for this project are accessible to all users, the city determined that 15 trees needed to be removed, as discussed at previous neighborhood meetings. Also part of the project is planting 19 new trees in the vegetated buffer between the street and the sidewalks.
The necessity of tree removal was confirmed last year following the city-wide sidewalk assessment by a consultant expert. The consultant rated the sidewalk conditions and pedestrian ramps within 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 tree roots have pushed up through the sidewalks, creating uneven pathways and tripping hazards.
The new sidewalks will be five-foot-wide and ADA-compliant; in most locations, they will also include a vegetated buffer between the sidewalk and the road. The new trees to be planted include Red Maple, Northern Red Oak and Sweet Gum Tree, which the residents and public helped to determine through the project's public outreach and that comply with the City of Dover's Central Business District (CBD) Street Tree Plan. The overall project improvements will benefit the neighborhood by ensuring a safer, more functional, and resilient infrastructure.
The CBD Street Tree Plan, endorsed by the Planning Board, prioritizes keeping existing trees wherever possible but recognizes the need to remove them when necessary. The city views street trees as a critical part of an urban forest that provides ecological, social, and economic benefits, improving stormwater management, filtering air pollutants, and lowering surface and air temperatures, as stated in the CBD Street Tree Plan and the Master Plan’s Climate Adaptation Chapter. The street trees planted today typically have tap roots and deeper and more vertical roots that promote greater infiltration than species with fibrous roots and more lateral, shallower roots. Trees with deeper roots will help preserve sidewalks longer than those 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.
More information
Find more information about the project at the dedicated project webpage https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/community-services/projects/fifth-street-grove-street-reconstruction-project/ or call Community Services at 603-516-6450.
Forwarded this email? To sign up, visit https://bit.ly/dovernewsletters, and add “Project updates: Fifth Street and Grove Street Reconstruction Project” to your current email subscription list.
| 
