Ask Maggie: When Will Crosby Street Reopen in Hanover?

Q: I think Hanover residents would love an update on the Crosby Street closure, that was slated to be 18 months, I think … and I have since forgotten how long it’s now actually been.

— Beverly R. Carter IV, Hanover

A: Crosby Street, which closed in June 2025 as part of a massive project to make Dartmouth’s heating system more efficient, was actually expected to be closed for 12 to 18 months. As we pass the 16-month mark, I’m sorry to tell ya: That ain’t happening.

“They claim that the roadway could be open at the end of July,” Hanover Director of Public Works Peter Kulbacki told me in a phone call last week.

When he says “they,” Kulbacki is referring to Dartmouth College, which is directing construction (and paying for it) on the town road. The school is building a new maze of underground pipes capable of carrying hot and chilled water around campus. Long story short, it will be much greener than the campus’s current steam-heating system—a worthy goal! Crosby Street will be home to the energy piping’s “vault,” a huge underground box where a bunch of pipes and valves will connect. 

I’d argue the temporary vehicular pain is worth the long-term energy gain, though I get that it’s hard for Hanover residents, commuters, and visitors to think big-picture when we’re sitting bumper to bumper. And it doesn’t help that Dartmouth appears less than forthcoming. More on that in a moment.

According to Kulbacki, the delay on Crosby Street is due to rock. In return for tearing up the road, the college is on the hook for replacing some of the town utilities that run alongside the new pipes, as well as upgrades to other town infrastructure like adjacent intersections, sidewalks, and lighting. When construction crews were replacing sewer lines early on, Kulbacki said, they hit ledge on the north side of East Wheelock Street, but the college decided against blasting out of concern for surrounding buildings. 

Instead, workers used a hydraulic ram—essentially an excavator with a big hammer on it—adding months to the schedule. In some cases they drilled holes and chipped away from there, much like you’d see on a larger scale at a stone quarry, according to Kulbacki. The sewer line was supposed to be done in July 2025, he said; it didn’t wrap until October of that year.

“It took a while to do it because of the way they were doing it,” he said.

Other factors include the fast-approaching end of this year’s construction season and considerations around scheduling long stretches of work near student dorms that need to happen overnight due to daytime traffic impacts. Construction crews are currently working on the energy piping and plan to wrap up in December, Kulbacki said, but that will be too late to start paving. Once the piping is finished, the to-do list will still include new curbing, drainage, landscaping, lighting, intersection work, and wider sidewalks—known in the municipal planning community as MUPs or SUPs, for “multi” or “shared” use paths, meant to more safely accommodate walkers and bicyclists. (Kulbacki, for the record, favors “MUPs.”)

I reached out last week to Dartmouth’s Crosby Street project manager and the emails listed on its Crosby Street project page, but didn’t hear back. (One of the two emails listed for the public to reach out to bounced back.) So I forwarded my questions on Monday to Dartmouth’s media relations team, who confirmed that the street is currently projected to reopen at the end of July. 

In response to my questions, including asking about the source of the delay, a spokesperson wrote that “the utilities piping installation is on schedule.” When I asked for clarification, given that Crosby Street is projected to open more than a year late, she wrote: “What we can share right now is that the projection of 12-18 months is only for the utilities piping, which is Dartmouth’s scope of the project and on schedule to be completed within the original timeline. Hope that helps!"

Aha. So when Dartmouth announced “Construction to Close Crosby Street to Traffic” and said the project was expected to take 12 to 18 months, they just meant the part about upgrading Dartmouth’s stuff, not the part about putting the public street back together.

I had also asked about Crosby Street car counts pre-closure and whether Dartmouth conducted a traffic study, which earned the response that “a formal traffic study was conducted with traffic counts performed at multiple locations.” Illuminating! I took a second swing at asking about the results of that study, but struck out.

For what it’s worth, Kulbacki said he recalled Crosby Street pre-closure car counts were around 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles daily, but that the bigger disruption may be to school bus routes from the Richmond and Ray schools to the high school. Construction has added around five minutes to pickup and drop-off times, he said, which is a big deal if you’re a school bus driver on a tight schedule.

Until the road reopens, most of the comments Kulbacki hears from residents are about traffic delays and the added time it takes to get through town. 

“I think in the end it'll be aesthetically much more pleasing,” he said, “because right now it's been a construction zone for long enough that I don't think people remember what it used to look like.” 

Here are my questions and Dartmouth’s responses (all via email, with pleasantries removed).

My questions

What is the new timeline for reopening Crosby Street? I understand from Peter [Kulbacki] that the new target is July.

What are the sources of the delay?

Peter mentioned Dartmouth decided against blasting unexpected ledge out of concern for nearby buildings (instead using a hydraulic ram, drill rigs, etc). Just wanted to double-check that is correct. 

What percentage of new pipes have been installed thus far? I believe in June 2025 it was about 20%, so looking for the apples-to-apples number.

What is the overall projected cost of this project? (Looking for costs related to Crosby Street construction, not Dartmouth's overall green energy initiatives.)

Did Dartmouth conduct a traffic study prior to closing Crosby Street? If so, how many cars were traveling on that road daily?

Do you have any construction photos we could use?

Dartmouth’s response

“The utilities piping installation is on schedule and Crosby Street is projected to reopen at the end of July 2027 with a new restoration design completed at the Town of Hanover's direction. During construction, crews did encounter solid bedrock and utilized multiple remediation techniques that avoided blasting. When Dartmouth requested permission to close Crosby Street, a formal traffic study was conducted with traffic counts performed at multiple locations. The university's traffic consultant made multiple recommendations regarding proper signage and alternate routes to minimize traffic impacts as much as possible. The study was presented to the Town of Hanover and the strategies have been implemented during the road closure.”

My follow-up

Since the road was slated to be closed for 12 to 18 months when it closed in June 2025, how is that on schedule?

"When Dartmouth requested permission to close Crosby Street, a formal traffic study was conducted with traffic counts performed at multiple locations." What were the numbers?

Dartmouth’s response

“What we can share right now is that the projection of 12-18 months is only for the utilities piping, which is Dartmouth’s scope of the project and on schedule to be completed within the original timeline.”

The Dartmouth (Oct. 9): Selectboard reviews Crosby Street renovation plans at biweekly meeting. Reporter Sy Jones captured some interesting discussion between the Selectboard and the town manager about how far to go on infrastructure upgrades like raised intersections — which are not in the plan. 

Dartmouth News (April 2026): Progress Continues on Dartmouth Energy Transition. Includes an aerial photo of the Crosby Street construction as it looked in March.

Valley News (June 2025): Street to close for 18 months to allow for work on new Dartmouth College heating system

Dartmouth College press release (June 2025): Construction to Close Crosby Street to Traffic

Keep the great questions coming! I’m tracking almost 30 queries, with three to four in the works most of the time so far. Email [email protected] with your name, town and question, or fill out this form. 

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Maggie Cassidy is the former editor of the Valley News and managing editor of VTDigger. In addition to creative endeavors in film and other media, she is the marketing manager at KIS Clean Outs and KIS Thrift, and serves as the proprietor of Wilder’s largest salt and pepper shaker museum. She can be reached at [email protected].