Portsmouth Traffic Circle Work Brings Daytime Shoulder Closures On I-95, NH-16 Through September

PORTSMOUTH, NH — Daytime shoulder closures are underway at and around the Portsmouth Traffic Circle as the New Hampshire Department of Transportation begins street lighting and conduit work in the area.

Traffic will be affected on I-95, NH-16, and the US-1 Bypass, including ramps, according to NH DOT.

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The agency reported that the work includes shoulder and median construction to replace street lighting and conduit at and around the traffic circle. Weather permitting, the project is expected to continue through September. Construction is scheduled from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

NH DOT said the work will require shoulder closures and narrowed ramps. Message boards and other traffic control devices will be in place to guide motorists through the work area. Drivers traveling through Portsmouth during those daytime hours may encounter slower traffic near the circle and connecting highways.

The project is part of the Statewide Eastern Lighting Project, according to NH DOT. That greater effort includes replacing existing high-mast light poles on I-95 in Portsmouth and Hampton, and installing new LED street lighting along Route 16 in Milton and I-95 in Portsmouth and Hampton.

Pine Ridge Technologies, Inc. of North Reading, Massachusetts, is the general contractor for the project. NH DOT said the contract is valued at $3.98 million.

The work now underway near the Portsmouth Traffic Circle is one piece of a broader lighting upgrade in eastern New Hampshire, including the replacement of older high-mast poles and installation of new LED lighting as part of the statewide plan.

The full project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2027, according to NH DOT. For now, drivers in Portsmouth can expect weekday daytime work zones and traffic changes around the circle through September, depending on weather conditions.