Maplewood Neighborhood Improvement Project

The Maplewood Avenue neighborhood was slated for extensive utility improvements, including water line replacement, sewer main replacement and rehabilitation, drainage improvements, and the separation of a combined sewer/stormwater system. The City of Portsmouth selected Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI) and Weston & Sampson, Inc. to provide engineering and construction services for the project. Taking the opportunity to engage the public early on, listen to their concerns, and rethink the design of the street resulted in an $8.6 million complete streets reconstruction project involving approximately two miles of residential roadways. Besides the much-needed utility improvements, the community was most interested in traffic calming elements to restore the neighborhood feel that they thought had been lost.

The complexity of this project involved delicate discussions during the public engagement process to gain the trust of stakeholders and implement new solutions, which opened the door to more tools in the traffic calming toolbox. A successful public infrastructure project could be identified as one that fulfills its purpose to serve the community, but an outstanding public infrastructure project is one that not only fulfills its primary civic functions, but also gains the appreciation and trust of the residents it serves.