After an incredible 30-year saga summarized in the tortuous chronology below, the long-suffering residents of Pannaway Manor and the Jewels neighborhoods on the west side of I-95 may soon be seeing sound wall construction begin. The Governor and Council are scheduled to vote on approving the $18.8 million dollar construction contract to Northeast Earth Mechanics on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at their meeting to be held this month in Hollis, NH.
If residents of these neighborhoods are wishing to know whom to thank for finally sealing the deal on this project or just looking to expand their Christmas card mailing list, one can start with former Portsmouth City Councilor Esther Kennedy, former Portsmouth Mayor Rick Becksted, District 3 Executive Councilor Janet Stevens and Pannaway Manor homies Bill St. Laurent and Erik Anderson.
September 25, 2024 – The I-95 Sound Wall project is on the agenda for approval at Governor and Council meeting – September 25, 2024 G&C Agenda | New Hampshire Secretary of State (nh.gov) Item # 49
049 GC Agenda 092524.pdf (nh.gov)
May 23, 2024 – 43760-portsmouth.pdf (nh.gov) – Portsmouth Sound Wall NHDOT Bid Results.
2023 – I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 101,000 vehicles/day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
December 1, 2023 – Portsmouth NH I-95 sound walls: Here’s what residents can expect (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
October 23, 2023 – 000-final-portsmouth-43760-i-95-soundwalls-wetlands-permit-application.pdf (nh.gov) Portsmouth I-95 Sound Wall Wetlands Permit Application
January 31, 2023 – Disappointed in letter supporting rights of racists: Letters (seacoastonline.com) Mark Brighton Sound Wall LTE in Portsmouth Herald (Scroll to 2nd letter)
December 20, 2022 – Microsoft Word – Portsmouth 43760 letter to City (cityofportsmouth.com) New Franklin School Letter from NHDOT to Portsmouth
July 22, 2022 – 0_2023-2032typprojectbook7.22.2022draftapproved-copyforweb.pdf (nh.gov) I-95 Sound Walls in Portsmouth appears in the NHDOT 10 Year Plan for the first time (see page 148)
November 15, 2021 NH DOT Presents Findings on Sound Barrier Study | City of Portsmouth Press Release Noise Study
October 2021 –Portsmouth Type I & II Noise 11-15-2021 Meeting Materials.pdf (cityofportsmouth.com) Portsmouth I-95 Sound Wall Study Graphics
October 29, 2021 – I-95 noise disrupting Portsmouth NH New Franklin School, neighborhoods (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
October 23, 2021- Portsmouth City Councilor Esther Kennedy organizes a community meeting on site at Cutts Ave to hear resident concerns about highway noise.
October 5, 2021, Portsmouth leaders urge push for sound barriers. Meetings change. (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
September 29, 2021 – Portsmouth mayor meets with Sununu to call for I-95 sound barriers (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
September 28, 2021 – Portsmouth Mayor Rick Becksted and City Councilor Esther Kennedy meet with Governor Chris Sununu in Concord to advocate for the construction of sound walls along both sides of I-95 in Portsmouth
September 14, 2022 SKM_C550i22091416020 (cityofportsmouth.com) New Franklin School Letter from Portsmouth to NHDOT
September 13, 2021 – Portsmouth City Councilor Esther Kennedy organizes a community evening meeting on site at New Franklin School hear resident concerns about highway noise.
September 8, 2021 Letter: It is long past time for sound barriers at Panaway Manor in Portsmouth, NH (seacoastonline.com) – Erik Anderson LTE
August 25, 2021 – Portsmouth City Councilor Esther Kennedy organizes a community evening meeting on site at Pannaway Manor to hear resident concerns about highway noise.
August 13, 2021 – I-95-adjacent Portsmouth neighborhoods request sound barriers (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
July 26, 2019 – Sound relief on the way (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
July 22, 2019 – NHDOT Approves City of Portsmouth as First Community Eligible for DOT Type II Noise Abatement Program Funds | City of Portsmouth Portsmouth DPW Press Release
2019 – I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 104,000 vehicles/day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
July 2, 2018 – Action taken on Pannaway Manor safety concern (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
November 29, 2017 – Pannaway Manor: A Portsmouth neighborhood and World War II (seacoastonline.com) – Aaron Garganta provides an update on Pannaway Manor sound walls
July 26, 2016 –I-95 Noise Is Annoying Portsmouth Residents. (wokq.com) WOKQ Article
July 19, 2014 – Falling on deaf ears: I-95 neighbors plead for noise relief (seacoastonline.com) Portsmouth Herald Article
2012 – I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 97,000 vehicles/day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
2002 – I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 97,000 vehicles/day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
1995 – Portsmouth State Rep. Laura Pantalakos files legislation for sound walls at Pannaway Manor
1992- I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 62,000 vehicles/day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
1989 – That summer, lifelong resident of Pannaway Manor Donna Garganta takes bus from Portsmouth to Concord to plead with state officials for I-95 highway noise relief for Pannaway Manor,
1987 – I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 44,100 vehicles / day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
1982- I-95 Average Annual Daily Traffic at Sherburne Road Overpass – 40,000 vehicles / day (Northbound and Southbound combined)
1978 – I-95 through Portsmouth is widened from 2 lanes in each direction to 4 lanes in each direction.
November 1, 1972 – I-95 High Level Bridge opens with a ribbon cutting ceremony with NH & ME governors
1972- I-95 from the Portsmouth Traffic Circle to the High-Level Bridge over the Piscataqua River is complete. (Cuts off New Franklin school from the west)
1950 – I-95 (known then as NH Turnpike / Blue Star Turnpike) from Seabrook to the Portsmouth Traffic Circle is complete.
1948- Construction begins of the NH Turnpike / Blue Star Turnpike (that would become I-95 in 1957) in New Hampshire to alleviate traffic on US-1. Pannaway Manor is cut off from the east side of Portsmouth and is accessed by a new bridge over the highway on Sherburne Road
1941 – Pannaway Manor is constructed consisting of 159 homes built by Defense Homes Corp on 37 acres.
1939 to 1940 – US-1 By Pass, Portsmouth Traffic Circle, Sarah Long Bridge are constructed to alleviate traffic congestion in downtown Portsmouth and Kittery. Opens on November 8, 1940. (Cuts off New Franklin School from the east)
1920 – New Franklin School is built on Dennett Street
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sound Barriers | City of Portsmouth Portsmouth DPW Sound Wall Website
| Sound BarriersJune 2024 UpdateNHDOT has awarded the Portsmouth soundwall project to Northeast Earth Mechanics. Next the contr… |
