Welcome! We are happy to see you 🙂. Winchester Street serves as a key gateway into the heart of Keene. This project will reconstruct and improve Winchester Street from the Route 101 Roundabout to the bridge over the Ashuelot River. New roundabout intersections at Key Road/Riverside Plaza and Pearl/Island Streets are included. The bridge that carries Island Street over the Ashuelot River will be replaced. In line with the City's Complete Streets Policy, the project will address the needs of all users of the corridor including bicyclists and pedestrians.

4/2/2024 Schedule Update

Thank you to the community for your patience as we near completion of this critical project. In November we projected that the bridge reconstruction would be complete by the end of March 2024. The Island Street Bridge reconstruction is an integral part of the Upper Winchester Street Reconstruction project.  The planned completion date for the project is now the end of May 2024.  Several items are contributing to the delay in completing the project, as detailed below: 

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• The extent of preparation needed to build a concrete bridge deck in January was not fully known in the November schedule.  In addition to insulating blankets and heaters 
  above the concrete deck, shielding and heating were needed below the concrete deck.  Temperature sensors were also obtained and embedded within the concrete to verify proper curing temperatures.

• To align with the planned Island Street Reconstruction project, we directed the contractor to make some changes to the utilities north of the bridge.  Due to the high river elevations during spring snow melt, and partial frozen ground conditions, this work took longer than would normally be required to complete. 

• The full extent and time needed by the gas company to complete their connections on both sides of the bridge were not previously known.  The scope of work has expanded to align the gas main with the planned Island Street Reconstruction project and to ensure the safety of all staff working near active gas mains. 

• The opening date of the asphalt plant owned by the paving subcontracter is usually the end of April, however, this has not yet been confirmed.  After the base course of pavement is installed, the curbing and sidewalk work must be finished before final paving and line striping.  The November schedule did not properly account for this later opening date to complete the final roadway work.

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A combination of extra work, more complicated work, unpredictable environmental conditions, and an unknown asphalt plant opening date are contributing to the delayed project schedule.  We understand that the delay is a continued inconvenience and hassle for the community, and we appreciate your patience. We are actively working to bring this project to completion while maintaining the high quality that the City deserves.

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