High Street makeover in Hampton: What you need to know about the $7M project

HAMPTON — Construction work will soon be underway on High Street as the town begins its $7 million project to upgrade the road and its infrastructure.

There will be 11,000 feet of new pipework underneath High Street between now and next year, thanks to the passage of a warrant article for the project at the 2022 Town Meeting. The work will include the replacement of sewer from Lafayette Road to Locke Road, as well as new drainage. It will also see the construction of new sidewalks, curbs and pavement in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Residents and business owners have said the road is rough to drive, with its bumps and potholes. Phil Cote, an employee of 31 years at Hampton Center Hardware, said the road's condition right now is “terrible.”

“I can’t understand why it’s taken them so long to do High Street,” Cote said. “If you go beyond Mill Road, it’s the worst road I’ve ever seen.”

High Street construction to last until 2024

Crews will start digging Monday, according to Hampton Public Works Director Jennifer Hale, at a location that will be decided and made public by the end of this week. The project is expected to last until 2024 with work ceasing during the winter, her department told people at a meeting in the recreational building June 28.

Work will take place at times dictated by the town’s ordinance, which allows work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the department. They said the contractor intends to work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. but could last until 5 p.m., five days a week.

Crews are expected to focus on the western end near the intersection with Route 1 early in the project, then move to the beach section of the road near Ocean Boulevard. The department said they then plan to finish in the middle.

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The department said it will be releasing a two-week forecast of where crews will be working. Hale said the timing for each section of the road will depend on factors like the existing utilities to work around, as well as the conditions crews are working in.

The work includes the intersection of Mill and High Street, where there is currently no push button at the crossing. The intersection will be “reworked to fix those things,” according to the department. New sidewalk will also be installed from Tobey Street to Five Corners.

Only a portion of the High Street sewer is being replaced as recent upgrades had been completed near the beach, according to the department. They said the sewer east of Locke Road was redone in 1987 and is considered new for sewer construction.

Selectman Jim Waddell, who has lived near the intersection of High Street and Ocean Boulevard for more than 15 years, said the work on High Street is “crucial.” He said driving on it is a “pain,” and the town has received legitimate complaints about its condition for years.

“It’s horrendous,” Waddell said. “I think it’s a really big deal that they’re finally starting it.”

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How will the project impact traffic?

The department said traffic will be impacted by the project while work is ongoing. Residents who live on the road will be able to access their homes, but DPW recommends those passing through to find another way.

“We cannot stress that the best bet is to use alternative routes in a respectful and law-abiding way,” the department’s information material states.

Residents can expect traffic details where work is being done, and police officers and flaggers will assist drivers getting in and out of their driveways.

Message boards will be placed at the High Street Lot, around the intersection of Five Corners, and at the High Street East Pump Station to indicate where major changes are happening, according to the department.

Some are concerned about the impact the work will have on traffic. Shane Pine, who owns Shane’s Texas Pit, said he wished the work did not have to take place near his business in the summer months. His barbecue restaurant is located close to the intersection of Route 1.

“Not that I want to discourage making High Street better,” Pine said. “Spring or fall is great. In the middle of the summer is bad timing.”

Hale said she knows people are concerned about delays but said they will improve as the project goes on. She encouraged people to sign up for more updates about the project from her department through the app Notify Me and to leave extra time to get to their destinations.

“There will be delays, and the conditions a little worse before they get better,” Hale wrote in an email. “But it will get better.”

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Selectmen still eyeing work on Winnacunnet Road

The work on High Street is part of a larger effort by the town to upgrade its main roads, which also includes Winnacunnet Road. That road and High Street are both main arteries that run from Route 1 to the beach, and town officials have been looking at ways to improve them for several years.

The two streets were originally bundled into one project proposal for $15 million, but that failed at the 2021 Town Meeting. The warrant article needed a three-fifths majority and only achieved 54%.

Town officials returned the following year with their $7,020,000 proposal to do High Street alone. That article, also for a bond, was approved with 87% of the vote.

Selectman Rusty Bridle wanted to get both roads done at the same time and said the work will still need to be done on Winnacunnet Road. He said a “temporary patch” was done last year to skim-coat the portion between Carlson Road and Locke Road, but that sewer and drainage need to be replaced there, too. He believes another push to get work approved on Winnacunnet Road will come soon.

“Hopefully, within the next year, if not this year, the year after, there will be another warrant article,” Bridle said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton’s High Street to get a major facelift with new sewer, drainage and sidewalks