The City of Rochester will be repairing several bridges in 2026, beginning with the Little Falls Bridge Road over the Cocheco River Bridge this spring, the Pickering Road over the Cocheco River Bridge this summer, and the Portland Street over Wardley Brook Bridge this summer into the fall. To complete this work, all three bridges will be fully closed to traffic, as summarized below.

Little Falls Bridge Road Bridge over the Cocheco River
Work on the Little Falls Bridge Road Bridge consists of bridge deck repairs, installation of a new barrier membrane, hot bituminous pavement, replacement of the expansion joint, resetting granite curb, and approach guardrail replacement. A full closure of this bridge is required during construction. Through traffic will be detoured to Route 11/Farmington Road, and access to local driveways will be maintained.

Pickering Road Bridge over the Cocheco River
Work on the Pickering Road Bridge consists of bridge deck repairs, installation of a new barrier membrane, hot bituminous pavement, replacement of the expansion joint, new concrete sidewalks, minor repairs to the bridge rail and bearings, and milling and paving of the roadway approaches. A full closure of the Pickering Road Bridge is required during construction. Through traffic will be detoured to Old Dover Road, while local driveway access will be maintained, along with pedestrian travel across the Cocheco River.

Portland Street Bridge over Wardley Brook
Work on the Portland Street Bridge consists of concrete repairs to the headwall and interior culvert walls and top slab, installation of a barrier membrane, installation of channel protection at the ends of the culvert, guardrail replacement, storm drainage repair, sidewalk reconstruction, and roadway reconstruction. A full closure of the Portland Street Bridge, along with the intersection of Portland Street and Chamberlain Street, is expected to begin this summer and extend into the fall. Through traffic will be detoured to Franklin Street during this time, while local driveway access will be maintained, along with pedestrian travel across Wardley Brook.

The closures described above have been communicated to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, the Post Office, Waste Management, the Rochester School Department, Police, Fire, and Emergency Management. Additional information, including the placement of message boards and specific closure dates, will be provided as it becomes available.

For questions or concerns, contact the Department of Public Works at (603) 332-4096.