Portsmouth consultants outline $19.3 million RAISE-funded redesign for High Street; public charrette opens

Portsmouth officials and their consulting team presented conceptual designs and alternatives for the High Street Innovation Corridor and opened an in-person charrette for public feedback at a special-call meeting. City staff said the project will be funded primarily by a federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant.

"The successful RAISE grant awarded $19,300,000 in federal dollars toward the corridor improvements," said Kirsten Tinch of consulting firm DHB, who led the presentation. She said the consulting team’s preliminary estimate for the total project is about $24,125,000, and outlined a planning and construction schedule with design work planned for 2026, a public hearing in 2026, advertisement in 2027 and construction in 2028–2030, with an estimated completion by May 2030.

City Engineer James Wright described the scope the team will pursue under the grant: "These improvements will include a road diet, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, lighting upgrades, stormwater upgrades, replacement of water and sewer lines, and additional municipal communication ducts to tie into our existing fiber infrastructure," he said. Wright introduced the consultant team and framed the project corridor as High Street between the MLK extension and Chestnut Street.

Consultants presented three alternative typical sections for the corridor. One alternative emphasizes angled parking on both sides of the road to increase spaces but would remove on-street bike accommodations and a shared-use path; a second prioritizes a shared-use path and bike lanes with reduced on-street parking; a third hybrid option would retain angled parking on one side while expanding sidewalk and pedestrian spaces on the other, and could be modified to add bike facilities at the expense of some outdoor seating or café space.

Tinch said the design aims to "enhance safety, improve mobility, expand access, and, of course, support long term economic growth," and invited attendees to visit four stations set up around the room where they could move gridded typicals, review plan views and amenities boards, and leave written comments. "We want your feedback on what you like, what you don't like so that we can consider that as we go into the design process," she said.

The session emphasized documenting community preferences so the council and staff can select a preferred alternative to carry into detailed design. City Manager Steven Carter introduced the item as the meeting’s sole agenda topic and asked the council and public to engage with the stations.

No formal votes or policy decisions were taken at the meeting. The presiding official closed the formal proceedings and adjourned the special-call meeting, and attendees were invited to remain and continue informal conversation at the stations.