"It's to the point we can't add any more signs."
That's how Laconia Public Works Director Nate Guerette described the Weirs Boulevard detour a few days after the bridge closed, in a Laconia Daily Sun report on the start of digging. Crews had already added signs at the roundabout, moved others where drivers could see them better, and put more near the construction site. Even so, plenty of southbound cars were still driving up to the barriers and turning around.
The signs are due to come down soon. The city's October 2026 project report says the bridge is on schedule to reopen by Thanksgiving. That reopening is one point on a longer timeline. Construction was scheduled around the Weirs' slowest months, and it's planned to continue right up to the start of next summer.
Two finish lines on the city's calendar
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 | Bridge closes; Weirs Blvd open to local traffic only on each side | Laconia Daily Sun |
| October 2026 | City reports the project within budget and on schedule | City Council packet, Oct. 26 |
| By Thanksgiving 2026 | Substantial completion; local traffic from both sides | Laconia Daily Sun |
| June 4, 2027 | Final completion | Laconia Daily Sun |
Guerette uses the term "substantial completion," and in the Daily Sun's account it means traffic can move from both sides again. Final completion comes later. Before construction began, the Daily Sun reported that the job wouldn't be fully done until Memorial Day weekend. The paper's later update gives a firmer date, June 4, 2027, which lands at the end of the week after Memorial Day.
So the road you'll drive at Thanksgiving is open but not finished, and the project is set to wrap up just as the Weirs gets busy again.
Why the work fits between Labor Day and Thanksgiving
City Manager Kirk Beattie explained the timing to the Laconia Daily Sun before work began. "We want to get the road opened as soon as we can," he said. "We certainly wouldn't want to affect the large volume of traffic on the boulevard during the spring and summer."
The closure started the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend and is due to end before the holidays. Those are the quietest weeks on the boulevard, and the city used them for the work that needs the road fully closed.
The bridge was overdue. The same Daily Sun article reports that it had been on the state's red list for several years. That means it was safe to drive on, but the state's yearly inspection had found at least one major structural problem. Guerette said the project had been in the works for three years and called the bridge "beyond its serviceable life." It was scheduled through the New Hampshire Department of Transportation's 10-year plan, the state's capital program for road, bridge and transit projects, which is updated every two years.
Who is paying for it
The Daily Sun put the project at $1.9 million. The city's August 2026 project report gives a more precise figure, $1,809,112, along with a breakdown of who pays for what.
- $1,611,647 is split 80/20 between NHDOT and the city.
- $197,465 is "non-participating," so the city pays all of it.
- $519,794 is the city's full share once both pieces are added up.
- $173,264, or one third of that city share, is being paid by a local development.
- $346,529 is the city's net share.
The same report names Weaver Brothers as the contractor and notes that all temporary construction easements had been obtained. By October, the city reported the project was still within budget and credited DPW, Laconia Water Works and Weaver Brothers with handling "several field changes" well.
What the detour taught the Weirs this fall
From the south, the official detour runs up White Oaks Road, and Guerette told the Daily Sun the full route comes to 5.6 miles. The city saw that coming. Its October report says parts of White Oaks got a maintenance shim just before the closure to handle the extra traffic.
The first few weeks were confusing. In the Daily Sun's account, Guerette said GPS apps took longer than expected to register the closure, and drivers weren't routed onto the detour until the middle of the week before. He also asked the motorcycles squeezing through the south entrance on evenings and weekends to stop, since digging was about to leave a large hole in the road.
Businesses felt it right away. Cynthia Makris, owner of The NASWA Resort at 1086 Weirs Blvd, told the Laconia Daily Sun that guests began calling the day after Labor Day to ask whether the resort had closed for the season. Callers coming from the south bypass needed directions several times a day. Police Chief Matt Canfield got a "businesses open" sign put up at the roundabout. He told the paper there had been no safety issues at the site or on the White Oaks detour, and that the project "has to happen."
What comes back with the road
The bridge will be paved for two lanes of traffic, and the curbs will be extended on both sides to make room for pedestrian pathways. Much of the work, though, is underground or easy to miss:
- A new driveway for the Capri condos. The entrance at 556 Weirs Blvd is being reconfigured to run straight to Alexandra Drive, so cars aren't turning left onto Weirs Blvd from two outlets.
- A water main, installed ahead of plan. Guerette said the ground was shallow enough to dig sooner than expected.
- Rerouted electricity. The same shallow ground along the road to the condos forced crews to move power lines.
- New manholes and a new sewer force main. Crews tested sprayed liners on the old manholes, found them in poor condition, and are replacing them before the new force main goes in.
Early on, crews also drove steel cofferdam sheets into the ground. One set creates a dry work area and two act as stream diversions. Guerette described them as expensive but effective.
Getting to the Weirs until the barriers come down
Until the reopening, Beattie's advice from the Daily Sun still holds: "I recommend people come in from the north, or through Gilford, if they need to get to a part of the Weirs." From the north side, you can get through the roundabout as far as 569 Weirs Blvd. Several Weirs-area spots stay open this time of year:
- Funspot, 579 Endicott Street North, is open every day on fall and winter hours through June 12, 2027: noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. It's closed on Thanksgiving Day.
- Kellerhaus is open year-round. Its current posted schedule runs through Nov. 24: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and closed Tuesdays. Its hours change with the seasons, so check before a late-November visit.
- Alamo Texas BBQ & Tequila Bar, 70 Endicott St. N., lists happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. Check its regular hours before you go.
The lake attractions run on a shorter calendar. Mount Washington Cruises listed its 2026 season as May 16 through Oct. 18. The Winnipesaukee Railway runs its Weirs Beach rides as a summer-and-fall service, and its last scheduled Weirs Beach departures this year were the Halloween Express runs on Oct. 31.
If you live near the Weirs and want to know how projects like this one tend to show up in your home's value over time, Ana Freitas is happy to talk it through in English or Portuguese. You can also start with a free instant home valuation.
