The new Harbor Place project at White’s Corner.
Downtown motorists can expect additional traffic restrictions on Merrimack Street at the Harbor Place construction site from now through the month of April while local business access will be maintained, according to Planning and Economic Development Director William Pillsbury Jr.
Traffic restrictions requested by Harbor Place contractor Dellbrook Construction for utility work were released Wednesday by Pillsbury. They include half-street closures this week until Friday, as well as a daytime street closure next Wednesday and Thursday, March 23 to 24, between the Herbert H. Goecke Memorial Parking Deck and Pentucket Bank drive-thru entrances. Also, during the month of April, similar closures on two days each week are to be scheduled.
“The Harbor Place project is proceeding on an aggressive schedule and the project has reached an extremely busy time period to stay on the required schedule and as a result additional traffic restrictions will be necessary,” Pillsbury said in a statement. “The traffic control and access will be a replication of the method used for local, deck and bank access for the recent shut down for National Grid installations. The assessment after this day was that access functioned properly and all services except thru traffic were accessible.”
Two days’ advance notice will be provided to the city on the weekly street closures in April, according to a Dellbrook spokesperson.
Pillsbury also noted access to all local businesses, the Goecke deck and to Pentucket Bank lobby, drive thru and ATM will be maintained “at all times” during the closures to thru traffic on the eastern end of Merrimack Street.