Project Summary

The Salem Street neighborhood was constructed in the Town of Exeter, NH in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with nearly all homes and utilities more than 50-years-old. Some sections of water main in the Salem Street Area (Oak, Salem, Park, Hale, Warren, Locust, Walnut, Wadleigh, and Forest Streets) consist of 100-year-old unlined cast-iron and 60-year-old AC water pipes along with vitrified clay sewer pipes with significant joint separation and root intrusion.  The neighborhood is known locally as the “tree streets” neighborhood due to the wide variety of mature trees established decades ago.  Exeter appropriated $5 million dollars in their FY 2021 budget to perform infrastructure improvement design and construction and selected Hoyle Tanner through a qualifications-based process as their design consultant.  

The public outreach efforts have focused on engaging and informing residents whose lives will be improved by the project, despite temporary disruptions during construction. For this project a Facebook Group was established to provide stakeholders with information about public meetings, encourage participation in the project specific questionnaire, and share project updates throughout the duration of the design and construction. This forum also allows residents to ask specific questions throughout the project duration. During the facilitation of the open house style public meetings, visualization boards and customized surveys were used to engage residents around areas of concern. 

The design team completed utility and roadway resurfacing plans and specifications for bidding in summer 2021. The project includes 5000 LF of new water main, 3000 LF of new sewers, and new sections of storm drainage and catch basins. Also included were significant roadway resurfacing and pedestrian improvements to provide a more uniform 24-ft roadway width and improved pedestrian connectivity with a more than 1000-ft of new asphalt sidewalk along Oak and Salem Streets affording a continuous off-road path through the neighborhood. Hoyle Tanner engaged the services of an arborist to assess the health of and to protect the mature trees within the project limits. Stormwater treatment is also provided using two underground sand filter systems, consistent with the Town’s MS4 requirements, prior to stormwater discharge into the Squamscott River.