Keene Work Zones to Affect Streets, Parking Areas and Trail Access This Week

City officials are asking everyone traveling through these areas to slow down near crews.

A busy round of public works projects across Keene will bring temporary closures and traffic changes for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists during the week of Aug. 31.

City officials are urging people to use extra caution near construction sites, watch for temporary signs and lane patterns, and plan for delays while crews handle water main work, paving, bridge replacement and sidewalk construction.

At Central Square, work on the east side will move into the next phase of a new water main installation. Casella Construction is set to start saw cutting Monday, which will temporarily affect parking spaces and sidewalks. Traffic may be rerouted or shifted as the job advances, though the area is expected to return to its usual setup at the close of each workday.

On Marlboro Street, reconstruction between Baker Street and Eastern Avenue will continue with Bazin Brothers Trucking handling curbing, sidewalk work and raising structures before paving begins later. Drivers should anticipate traffic moving through the construction zone in altered patterns, including alternating one-way or two-way traffic as needed.

George Street will stay closed while the bridge replacement project continues. New England Infrastructure Inc. is installing a new water main there, and the city says the detour will remain in place throughout the work, which is expected to last about 15 weeks.

Along Eastern Avenue and the Transportation Heritage Trail, crews from Gordon’s Property Services and Maintenance are installing gravel, fencing and concrete sidewalks ahead of paving planned for Sept. 8. The trailhead parking area will not be available during construction, and the broader project is scheduled to finish in October after roughly two weeks of work on this phase.

A separate one-day project is planned for Walker Street at Kenworth Avenue, where Frank Lucius Construction Inc. will begin installing water main valves at 8 a.m. Monday. Through traffic will not be allowed, and motorists in the area should expect alternating one-way movement. Nearby property owners have already been notified about the work and the temporary water service interruption.

Another water system job will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday on Birch Street at Aspen Street and Balsam Street. Frank Lucius Construction Inc. will install gate valves there, using alternating traffic through the work zone. If weather cooperates, the project should be completed in one day, and impacted property owners have been informed about the planned outage.

Parking changes are also scheduled at the City Hall Parking Garage. The city will close the parking deck at 4 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, so the Highway Division can repaint parking-space lines. The deck is expected to reopen at noon after the surface has had time to cure.

At Key Road, Park Construction is expected to finish paving the State offices parking lot and complete cleanup work by the end of the week. Some lanes and parking areas within the lots may be restricted or rerouted while the work is underway.

City officials are asking everyone traveling through these areas to slow down near crews, follow all posted controls and give themselves extra time when heading through construction zones.