City's annual street sweeping begins this week

posted on: 3/25/2025

The city of Dover will begin its annual street sweeping operations this week, starting with cleaning sidewalks using blowers and brooms.

The Community Services Department will conduct the work through early June, with downtown streets scheduled for cleaning first before moving to the rest of the city.

Street sweeping operations typically begin at 3 a.m. and may require temporary parking restrictions. The city will provide advanced notice of these restrictions through signage, email and social media. Residents can sign up for these and other alerts by adding "Dover Alert: public safety alerts and special announcements" to their email subscription list at https://bit.ly/dovernewsletters.

The annual cleaning not only beautifies the city but also helps reduce pollutants entering the stormwater system. The city estimates street sweeping reduces the annual nitrogen load flowing into the Great Bay Estuary by 43 pounds.

The work this week, from March 25, will focus specifically on sidewalks, utilizing a combination of machine work and hand work with blowers and brooms. Street sweeping with vehicles is expected to begin next week, weather permitting. Overnight temperatures near or below freezing may delay street sweeping operations as the vehicles spray water for dust control.

For more information, contact Dover Community Services at 603-516-6450.