PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — City crews began resurfacing downtown streets on Monday, October 26, opening a four-day paving schedule that will close sections of eight streets in stages through Thursday, according to a schedule posted by the City of Portsmouth. The work brings fresh pavement to some of the downtown core’s most traveled blocks, along with short-term closures drivers will need to work around this week.
Monday’s work covered Market Street from 3rd Street to 7th Street and 4th Street from Market Street to Washington Street. Those two stretches were the first on the city’s day-by-day list, putting the initial closures in the heart of downtown as the work week began.
Crews move on Tuesday to three more streets. The Tuesday schedule covers 5th Street from Market Street to Court Street, 8th Street from Court Street to Chillicothe Street, and 9th Street from Court Street to Offnere Street, according to the city.
Wednesday and Thursday are set aside for the remaining streets on the list. That work covers John Street from 9th Street to 10th Street, Broadway Street from Jackson Street to 5th Street, and Jackson Street from Boundary Street to Broadway Street, completing the eight-street downtown round.
The city said in its announcement that residents and drivers should avoid the listed streets if possible while the work is underway. Officials warned that delays could occur and that the day-by-day schedule could change, so anyone heading downtown for work, shopping or appointments this week should expect sections to be closed off in stages and allow for a different route.
The resurfacing is part of the city’s broader paving push this year. City Manager Sam Sutherland told Portsmouth City Council in August that this year’s work would concentrate on the city’s west end before a cooperative agreement with the Scioto County Engineer’s office shifts the bulk of resurfacing work to Sciotoville in 2027.
Council approved that cooperative paving agreement at its August 10 meeting, along with a state brownfield remediation grant and a lease of Rose Street Park. For downtown, the immediate focus stays on this week’s list: once the Wednesday and Thursday sections are finished, the downtown streets named in the city’s schedule will have been resurfaced, and the broader citywide paving effort will carry forward under the plan council approved.
Photo: Vasiliymeshko, CC BY 4.0