Neighborhood Street Paving Program

Paving Cycle Process

A road has a typical life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. Different methods of maintenance and repair are taken throughout a road’s life cycle to make needed repairs. Pavement life is impacted by many factors: traffic volume, vehicle loads (weight), environmental conditions, maintenance, etc. The more a road is maintained, the longer its life cycle will be. The best practice is to carry out the paving process through its life cycle (with the funding available) to get the full value out of the initial investment. A typical life cycle of a road or street is as follows:

1. Reclamation

Pavement reclamation is the process of rebuilding a road by recycling the existing asphalt. The road is broken up and mixed with the existing base material. The product is compacted to create a stronger base and three inches of new pavement is placed on the new base. 

2. Crack Filling

About 5-10 years later, as the road starts to depreciate, the road may begin to crack. A more cost-effective way to maintain the lifespan of the road is to fill the cracks with hot asphalt to prevent water from filtering through the road and creating further damage.

3. Shim Overlay

After the reclamation process in about 5-10 years, another inch of asphalt is laid over the existing paved surface. This additional layer strengthens the initial three inches of pavement to extend the life of the road.

4. Cold Planing

5-10 years after that, cold planing can be done as a process to remove paved areas if necessary. Asphalt milling can remove some or all of the existing pavement to be taken off-site to be recycled for future paving projects. The road is then shimmed with a layer of pavement to fill any ruts that may have developed. Once the shimming has been completed, another 1.5 inches of pavement is added to maintain the strength of the road for the final 10 years of its life cycle.

Neighborhood Street Paving Program

The City of Concord is continuing to invest in local neighborhood streets through our Neighborhood Street Paving Program. Since neighborhood streets have a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years, the program is predicated on a 30-year paving cycle. Streets are scheduled based on priority defined by objective measures such as pavement conditions, frequency of use, and available funding. The recommended capital improvement project for local streets (CIP #78) is made possible based upon continued funding.

Granite Curb Cost-Sharing Program

Residents will be invited to participate in a voluntary granite curb cost-sharing program when streets are scheduled for pavement reclamation. Residents are not obligated to participate. Residents and the City will share the cost of the program. The curb cost-sharing program is only available for streets scheduled for reclamation. Each property will be inspected on a case-by-case basis for approval of granite curbing. The City reserves the right to not install granite curbing based upon certain situations, including drainage concerns. If a resident is interested in participating in the program and their area is approved for curbing, their cost must be paid in full prior to installation. Curbing is installed along the entire property line that abuts the street. More information will be provided directly to residents when notified of pavement reclamation.

FY 2019 Paving

The fiscal year 2019 (July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019) budget approved by the Mayor and City Council invests in our Neighborhood Street Paving Program with 0.25% of the 3.96% tax rate increase added to the current funding levels for local streets. Continental Paving, Inc. has been contracted for paving in fiscal year 2019. This year's paving program includes both pavement reclamation and shim/overlays. 

The pavement reclamation process will include the lowering of all catch basins and manholes, grinding the road surface to a 1' depth, grading the road, and putting down a base layer of pavement. Then the existing granite curb will be reset and any new requested curb will be installed. Existing sidewalks will then be repaired or replaced, manholes and catch basins will be reset, and then the final pavement overlay is applied. 

The shim/overlay process involves putting down a shim course of pavement, to get the road back to an even surface, raising manhole and catch basin covers, and then putting down a 1” final overlay of pavement, followed by a 2’ wide gravel shoulder, where there isn’t any curbing in place. 

Work is weather permitting. During construction, streets will be closed to on-street parking between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. One lane of traffic will be maintained at all times during construction. 

A tentative schedule of streets approved in the fiscal 2019 budget for paving is listed below:

*This schedule is tentative and is subject to change. Please return to this page for paving updates.

An additional $1 million was approved by City Council for additional paving for this fiscal year. The funding is coming from a reserve account associated with Consolidated Communications (formerly Fairpoint Communications) in relation to a settlement agreement and their use of the City's right-of-ways, poles, and conduits. This appropriation allows for an additional paving without an impact on the tax rate or bonded debt.  A tentative schedule of streets planned for paving due to this appropriation is listed below:

*This schedule is tentative and is subject to change. Please return to this page for paving updates.

Find weekly paving updates in the City Manager's Newsletter. View the latest newsletter on the City's homepage at www.concordnh.gov. 

FY 2020 Paving

The fiscal year 2020 (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020) budget approved by the Mayor and City Council continues to invest in our Neighborhood Street Paving Program with 0.25% of the 1.92% tax rate increase to be added to the current funding levels for local streets. This year's paving program includes pavement reclamation, shim/overlays, and cold plane overlays.

The pavement reclamation process will include the lowering of all catch basins and manholes, grinding the road surface to a 1' depth, grading the road, and putting down a base layer of pavement. Then the existing granite curb will be reset and any new requested curb will be installed. Existing sidewalks will then be repaired or replaced, manholes and catch basins will be reset, and then the final pavement overlay is applied. 

The shim/overlay process involves putting down a shim course of pavement, to get the road back to an even surface, raising manhole and catch basin covers, and then putting down a 1” final overlay of pavement, followed by a 2’ wide gravel shoulder where there isn’t any curbing in place. 

The cold plane overlay process will include asphalt milling to remove parts of the pavement, shimming with a layer of pavement, raising manhole and catch basin covers, then placing a 1” final overlay of pavement, and placing a 2’ wide gravel shoulder where curbing is not already in place. 

Work is weather permitting. During construction, streets will be closed to on-street parking between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. One lane of traffic will be maintained at all times during construction.

*This schedule is tentative and is subject to change. Please return to this page for paving updates.

FY 2005-2018 Accomplishments

Concord has made significant investments in our major arterial roads including: Langley Parkway, Manchester Street, Regional Drive, North State Street, Fisherville Road, Village Street, Clinton Street, Broadway, and Main Street. During the Great Recession, it was necessary for the City to reduce expenditures on local streets. Since fiscal year 2016 with improved economic conditions, the City has been able to refocus paving initiatives to local neighborhood streets having completed the necessary work on our major roads. The Neighborhood Street Paving Program is returning the quality of life to the local neighborhoods of our community since its launch in fiscal year 2016. We hope to accomplish this goal with the rest of the community as the program continues, provided the community continues to commit funds towards this effort.