Commission declines to sign expedited review for Garfield/McKinley intersection, seeks more alternatives

The Portsmouth Conservation Commission on Feb. 11 declined to sign an expedited state review for a minimum‑impact public highway project at the Garfield and McKinley intersection and asked staff to forward comments asking for additional alternatives analysis and tree mitigation.

CMA Engineers project manager Nick Msina described a plan to reconfigure a skewed intersection to improve sight lines and pedestrian safety and said the project would impact about 920 square feet of jurisdictional wetland — below the 3,000‑square‑foot threshold for a standard state permit and therefore eligible for expedited consideration. Msina said the work would be contained in the public right‑of‑way and would result in a modest net decrease in impervious surface at the corner.

Commissioners voiced concern over cutting an estimated six to seven trees at the corner and questioned whether less‑invasive traffic calming measures (bump‑outs, targeted pavement rework, or sidewalk timing) had been fully explored. One commissioner noted the project was prompted by neighborhood pickup congestion at school dismissal times; commissioners nevertheless wanted sight‑distance and speed‑study details and a clearer presentation of alternatives before endorsing acceleration of the state review.

After discussion, the commission voted to refrain from signing the expedited review request and to send NHDES comments requesting further consideration of alternatives, mitigation for lost tree canopy and clarification of traffic study data. Staff noted that the commission could still submit comments to NHDES while the agency completes its evaluation.