Central Square Work Continues as Utility Crews and Contractors Prepare for Major Phase

City officials said much of what is happening now is preparatory, but they expect the coordination to reduce delays.

Preparations for Keene’s downtown infrastructure project are picking up pace in Central Square as the city moves toward its first major construction stage. This week, Liberty Utilities has been replacing older natural gas lines on the west and south sides of the square, while Casella Construction has been handling advance work needed before the larger phase begins.

City Engineer Bryan Ruoff said the utility portion should carry into next week and may prompt temporary changes in traffic patterns inside the active work area. Drivers may encounter intermittent shutdowns of the West Street slip lane, along with detours for West Street and Roxbury Street when needed. The city said it will share more details once those traffic adjustments are set.

At the same time, Casella Construction has been completing a series of preconstruction tasks. Those include reviewing subcontractors, organizing required paperwork, refining how the project will be broken into stages and setting up a staging area at the corner of Gilbo and School streets. The team is also finishing a traffic control plan for the opening phase of construction.

City officials said much of what is happening now is preparatory, but they expect the coordination to reduce delays for businesses, residents and people traveling through downtown. Work crews are expected to begin visible setup in the Central Square area next week.

The city has also identified trees affected by the first phase. Three trees on the west side of Central Square, marked with blue ribbons, will be moved to other locations in Keene. Another 15 trees, tagged with pink ribbons, are slated for removal as part of the initial construction stage.

Questions about the project can be directed to Downtown Project Ombudsman George Downing at 603-757-2105 or gdowning@keenenh.gov, or to City Engineer Bryan Ruoff at 603-352-6550, ext. 6621, or bruoff@keenenh.gov.