Dartmouth road construction starts Monday on four streets; no daytime parking in the work zones
Bridge and Middle streets in Padanaram start Monday; Smith Neck Road starts Tuesday and Howland Street on Oct. 29. All four jobs run through Nov. 20, weather permitting.
DARTMOUTH Road construction comes to four Dartmouth streets starting Monday, Oct. 26, and no parking will be allowed in the work zones during the day while crews are out. The Department of Public Works ordered the work, which is scheduled to run through Friday, Nov. 20, with every project subject to weather permitting.
Bridge Street, from Elm Street to Middle Street, and Middle Street, from Prospect Street to School Street, are scheduled first: Monday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Nov. 20. Smith Neck Road, from DeGaris Avenue to Rock O'Dundee Road, starts Tuesday, Oct. 27 and also runs through Nov. 20. Howland Street, from Russells Mills Road to Atlantic Avenue, starts Thursday, Oct. 29 and runs through Nov. 20.
No parking will be permitted in the designated areas from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the scheduled construction periods. Motorists and residents are advised to plan accordingly and to avoid parking in the designated areas during construction hours.
Two of the four work zones meet in Padanaram village: Bridge Street, the road that crosses the Padanaram Bridge into the village, and Middle Street, between Prospect Street and School Street. The other two are Smith Neck Road, between DeGaris Avenue and Rock O'Dundee Road, and Howland Street, between Russells Mills Road and Atlantic Avenue.
Weight limits nearby
Drivers in the Russells Mills part of town are already working around new weight limits on the Russells Mills Road bridge over the Paskamansett River, which took effect Oct. 1 after an inspection with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Single-unit trucks are limited to 6 tons on two or three axles, 10 tons on four or five axles and 14 tons on six or more axles. Truck-trailer combinations are limited to 13 tons, and emergency vehicles to 6 tons on a single axle, 8 tons on a tandem axle and 11 tons gross. The new limits replace the previous limits of 10 tons for one axle, 12 tons for two axles and 19 tons for three axles.
Vehicles that exceed the posted weight restrictions may not cross the bridge. The detour from the west uses Chase Road, Route 6 and Tucker Road, or Rock O'Dundee Road and Bakerville Road; from the east, Tucker Road, Route 6 and Chase Road, or Bakerville Road and Rock O'Dundee Road. Public Works Director Tim Barber told the Select Board this month that MassDOT has secured funding for a rehabilitation of the bridge, and that a traffic consultant is studying whether the bridge can go to one lane or take structural changes that would allow higher weight limits.
What is next
Work starts Monday on Bridge and Middle streets, moves to Smith Neck Road on Tuesday and reaches Howland Street on Oct. 29. All four jobs are scheduled to finish by Friday, Nov. 20, weather permitting. Questions go to the Department of Public Works at 508-999-0740; the office at 759 Russells Mills Road is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
How we verified this
Every fact comes from the Town of Dartmouth's own records, read fresh Oct. 22, 2026, about 4 a.m. EDT: the one-page DPW public notice PDF (downloaded and read in full, including each road segment and date range), the town alert that posted it Oct. 20, the town news flash page carrying the Paskamansett Bridge weight-limit notification and the Select Board recap quote from DPW Director Tim Barber, and the SC360 Dartmouth town page contact block for the DPW phone and hours. Weekdays were checked against a calendar: Oct. 26, 2026 is a Monday, Oct. 27 a Tuesday, Oct. 29 a Thursday and Nov. 20 a Friday. The Padanaram Bridge location (Bridge Street leading into Padanaram village) follows the photo's own description on Wikimedia Commons. No other news outlet is a source for this story. Not heard: no one was contacted; the DPW notice and the town notification state the dates, the parking restriction, the weight limits and the detours.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (4)
- Public Notice: Roadway Construction (one-page DPW notice posted with the Oct. 20, 2026 town alert)Town of Dartmouth Department of Public Works. Work, weather permitting: Bridge Street (Elm Street to Middle Street) and Middle Street (Prospect Street to School Street), Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 through Friday, Nov. 20, 2026; Smith Neck Road (DeGaris Avenue to Rock O'Dundee Road), Tuesday, Oct. 27 through Nov. 20; Howland Street (Russells Mills Road to Atlantic Avenue), Thursday, Oct. 29 through Nov. 20. No parking permitted in the designated areas 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the scheduled construction periods; motorists and residents advised to plan accordingly and avoid parking in the designated areas during construction hours. Per order of the Department of Public Works. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Public Notice - Roadway Construction (town news flash alert, posted Oct. 20, 2026, 3:16 p.m.)Town of Dartmouth. Roadway construction on the listed roads from Oct. 26, 2026 through Nov. 20, 2026; plan accordingly and use caution. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Town news flash page carrying the Select Board recap with the Paskamansett Bridge weight-limit notificationTown of Dartmouth. New weight restrictions on the Russells Mills Road/Paskamansett River Bridge, between Gulf Road West and Chase Road, took effect Oct. 1, 2026 after an inspection with MassDOT: single-unit trucks 6 tons (2 to 3 axles), 10 tons (4 to 5 axles), 14 tons (6 or more axles); truck-trailer combinations 13 tons; emergency vehicles 6 tons single axle, 8 tons tandem, 11 tons gross; replacing previous limits of 10, 12 and 19 tons for one, two and three axles. Detours via Chase Road, Route 6 and Tucker Road, or Rock O'Dundee Road and Bakerville Road. DPW Director Tim Barber told the Select Board MassDOT has secured funding for a rehabilitation and a traffic consultant is studying one-lane or structural options for higher limits. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- SC360 Dartmouth town page contact block (DPW phone and office hours, from the town site)Department of Public Works, 508-999-0740, 759 Russells Mills Road, open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; the same DPW number appears on the town alert for billing questions. Read Oct. 22, 2026.