Central Square Work Will Bring Detour Changes, Excavation and Tree Removal Next Week

Conditions will likely become more complicated once the excavation expands into the Washington and Roxbury street areas.

Downtown Keene motorists and people on foot should prepare for another round of construction impacts as the Central Square project advances next week. Changes will include a new traffic pattern on Court Street, more utility-related digging, expanded signage and the start of tree removal later in the week.

Beginning Monday, drivers heading from Court Street toward Central Square will be routed onto School Street and then turned left onto West Street. The adjustment is tied to ongoing work by Liberty Utilities, which is connecting newly installed gas infrastructure to the existing system on the west and south sides of Central Square. That portion of the project is expected to continue through the week.

Casella Construction is also set to start exploratory excavation Monday at several utility connection points around the square. Crews will be working near the intersections involving Court, Washington, Roxbury and West streets. At first, that digging should stay within the traffic control area already in place for the utility work, so major disruptions are not expected right away.

Conditions will likely become more complicated once the excavation expands into the Washington and Roxbury street areas. At that point, additional flaggers and marked-off work zones will be added to manage traffic.

Drivers will also notice more substantial construction signs being placed around the project area. The city says the goal is to help people who are not familiar with Keene recognize they are entering an active work zone. Those signs will be paired with temporary movable markers that can be shifted as the job site changes.

A more visible change is expected later in the week, when tree removal is scheduled to begin, likely on Wednesday or Thursday. That phase will affect people walking through the area, including brief sidewalk interruptions while crews lower branches and clear trees.

City officials said the timing may still shift as the project moves forward.

Questions about the downtown construction can be directed to Downtown Project Ombudsman George Downing at (603) 757-2105 or gdowning@keenenh.gov. Residents may also contact Public Works Director Don Lussier at (603) 352-6550.