Court and Union Reconstruction

At a Glance

Latest

Next week, Oct. 12–16, crews will install curbs, seed disturbed areas, work on the Middle Road rain garden, and clean the construction zone. Lane closures and restrictions are expected on Court, Union, East Watson, and Back Road, with parking restricted as needed. Expect delays. Residents with tagged bulky items should call Community Services at 603-516-6450 before Tuesday’s pickup.

The City of Dover is completely reconstructing Court Street and Union Street to upgrade aging underground utilities, improve drainage, and rebuild the roadway and sidewalks. The project incorporates Dover’s Complete Streets guidelines to enhance safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, with final paving planned for Spring 2027.

Why it Matters

Rebuilding this corridor fixes deteriorating roads and outdated utility networks before major main breaks or severe flooding can occur. Failing to make these improvements leaves underground infrastructure vulnerable to failure and keeps narrow, safety-challenged intersections in place. By executing this comprehensive rebuild, the city is delivering several key benefits:

Safer Streets for All Users: Expands the Court Street sidewalk from South Pine Street to Hubbard Road and integrates shared-use and dedicated bike lanes along the corridor.

Modernized Underground Utilities: Replaces city-owned water service lines, upgrades sewer mains, and installs a brand-new municipal stormwater drainage system.

Neighborhood Flood Prevention: Gives property owners the chance to connect yard drains, downspouts, and sump pumps directly into the new municipal storm system to keep water away from foundations.

Safer Intersections: Re-engineers high-traffic focal points like the Back Road/Court Street/Middle Road intersection to protect motorists, walkers, and cyclists alike.

The Big Picture

This project has been carefully planned as part of Dover’s six-year Capital Improvements Program adopted by the City Council. Following years of preliminary survey work, soil borings, and video pipe inspections that began in 2021, the city gathered extensive resident feedback through neighborhood surveys and meetings to craft a design combining the best traffic-calming concepts. Performing these utility upgrades simultaneously with street surface rebuilding prevents the city from having to tear up freshly paved roads again in the future.

Take Action

Active community involvement helps construction run smoothly and ensures property owners get the full benefit of these infrastructure upgrades:

Coordinate your property’s drainage: Contact Deputy City Engineer Matt Gibbons to select your preferred location for a new municipal storm service connection, allowing you to tie in sump pumps, downspouts, and yard drains.
Inspect your plumbing: Check your sump pumps and downspouts to ensure they aren’t tied into the sanitary sewer system. Disconnecting them is required by law and helps keep city wastewater treatment costs down. When there are big rain events, stormwater rushing into the sanitary sewer — where wastewater from toilets, sinks, and showers is treated — can overwhelm the treatment facility.
Subscribe to construction alerts: Stay updated on lane closures, parking bans, and work schedules by visiting the City’s Newsletter Portal and choosing “Project update: Court Street & Union Street Reconstruction Project.” Schedule bulky item trash pickups: If you live in the work zone and purchase bulky item waste tags, call Community Services at 603-516-6450 before Tuesday trash collection so staff can coordinate pickup around heavy equipment.
Return Right of Entry forms: If you received a Right of Entry letter in the mail, return it promptly so contractors can seamlessly blend driveway and lawn edges into the new street design.

Go Deeper

If you want to review the full engineering drawings, design concepts, or meeting history, check out these helpful resources:

Project Updates & Meeting Slides: Review the neighborhood meeting presentation slides and sign up for ongoing progress reports via the City of Dover Newsletter Portal. Select “Project updates: Court Street and Union Street Reconstruction” from the list of projects.
Design & Bid Packages: Access the complete Bid Contract Package #B25014 and Concept Drawings through the city’s purchasing site.
City Standards: Read Dover’s Complete Streets and Traffic Calming Guidelines to see how multimodal transportation goals are integrated into road projects.
Visit the City’s official webpage for the project.

Activity Feed

Oct 9, 2026Active
Next week, Oct. 12–16, crews will install curbs, seed disturbed areas, work on the Middle Road rain garden, and clean the construction zone. Lane closures and restrictions are expected on Court, Union, East Watson, and Back Road, with parking restricted as needed. Expect delays. Residents with tagged bulky items should call Community Services at 603-516-6450 before Tuesday’s pickup.
Oct 2, 2026Active
Next week, Oct. 5–9, crews will adjust street structures, seed disturbed areas and continue work on Court Street. Traffic and parking restrictions will remain in place, with delays expected. The area is still a work zone, even where paving is complete. Concrete sidewalk work is expected to resume the week of Oct. 12. Residents with bulky-item trash should call (603) 516-6450 before Tuesday pickup.
Sep 29, 2026Active
Weather permitting, paving is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, on Court Street from South Pine Street to East Watson Street and at connecting intersections. Parking will be prohibited in paving areas beginning at 7 a.m., with lane restrictions and delays expected. Local access will be maintained. Final paving is planned for spring 2027. Questions: 603-516-6450.
Sep 25, 2026Active
Next week, Sept. 28–Oct. 2, crews will fine-grade unpaved sections of Court Street and continue pouring sidewalks between Central Avenue and Union Street. Through traffic closures and lane restrictions will be in place during work hours, 7–5:30. Parking may be limited near work areas. Local traffic will be accommodated, but delays are expected. Paving is planned for mid-October, weather permitting.
Sep 18, 2026Active
Next week, Sept. 21–25, sidewalk crews may continue pouring sections on Union Street, Court Street between Central and Union, and Middle Road to Hubbard, weather permitting. Expect parking restrictions, lane shifts and delays. Court Street and Union Street will have through-traffic closures during work hours, with local access maintained. East Watson Street traffic may be detoured via Locke Street during paving preparation.
Sep 11, 2026Active
Next week, Sept. 14–18, crews will pave driveway aprons, continue preparing Court Street for paving, and prep sections of Locke Street, Elmview Circle, Boyle Street, and Samuel Hanson Avenue. Cleanup, loaming, and seeding will also continue. From 7–5:30, expect closures on Court Street and Union Street, plus lane restrictions on Court Street near Back Road. Local access will be maintained, but delays are likely.
Sep 4, 2026Active
Next week, Sept. 8–11, crews will pour sidewalks on Court and Union streets, prepare Court Street for paving, and ready sections of Locke, Elmview Circle, Boyle Street, and Samuel Hanson Avenue. Cleanup, loaming, and seeding will continue. From 7–5:30, expect closures on Court and Union streets and lane restrictions on Court Street. Local access will be maintained, but delays are likely.
Aug 30, 2026Active
This week, Aug. 31–Sept. 3, crews will fine-grade, form and pour sidewalks on Court Street between Central Avenue and Union Street, weather permitting, and clean up construction areas on Court and Union streets. From 7 am to 5:30 pm, expect closures on Court Street between Central Avenue and East Watson Street and Union Street between Court Street and Central Avenue, plus lane restrictions on Court Street between East Watson Street and Back Road. Local access will be maintained, but delays are expected. No work Sept. 4 or 7 for Labor Day holiday.
Aug 16, 2026New
Just a note to indicate when I added this project to the tracker.