Happy April, happy spring! It’s great to hear the birds singing and see green plants making their way to the sun.
You may have seen all the construction on Merrimack St and the new garage – here is the update (deeeep breath LOL):
While I am happy they are finally finishing the construction of the garage, our free parking lot is going away as of Tuesday 4/8/26 as they will be closing the big lot across from my building. The new garage is open, floors 2-6 which are accessed via Park Way (see more details below). The first floor entrance on 5 Merrimack St is not open yet.
See below for details on other free parking options, which are similar to the spots/lots that were open last summer during the heavy construction (my building has the blue star).
If you decide to park in the garage, the cost is $1.50 up to 1 hour, $3.00 up to 2 hours. Refer to the picture for more details, and I believe you can reserve ahead of time online?
What’s changing?
As planned, use of the temporary 130-space surface parking lot off Merrimack Street will cease on April 8.This surface lot will be closed as of Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The last day you can park in this lot will be Tuesday, April 7.
Additionally, the surface lot behind the Mass General Brigham Medical Center (formerly Pentucket Medical Center) on Haverhill Place will also close on April 28, 2026. The last day you can park in this lot (next to the Haverhill Police Station) will be Monday, April 27.
The Developer will begin to construct two mixed-use residential buildings on that land and the immediate surrounding area. Construction vehicles will stage on the temporary upper lot next to the Medical Center (closing on 4/28) in order to keep most construction vehicles off Merrimack Street. Also, construction of a new public plaza from Merrimack Street to Park Way is also planned between these buildings in that space.
New signage will be coming to the area to assist with wayfinding.
What’s not changing?
The surface parking lot off of How Street (behind Haverhill Beef, Pizza Al Forno, and other businesses) will remain open through the summer.
Parking on Bailey Boulevard and Ginty Boulevard remains free and unchanged.
Parking in the TD Bank lot off West Street remains free and unchanged.
Additionally, the Walkway from Merrimack Street up to Park Way will remain open, providing pedestrian access through and around the construction area.
Merrimack Street spaces on-street remain 2-hour parking.
Construction activity underneath Merrimack Street is also essentially complete.
How do you get to the garage?
Please be aware that the main entrance and exit for the new Garage is on Park Way, This is one block above Merrimack Street. This entrance provides access to floors 2-6 and over 560 parking spaces on those floors.
To access the Garage from Bradford and coming over the Basiliere Bridge, travel Main Street/Route 125 Northbound to a left on Bailey Boulevard, (U-turns on Main Street are not allowed). Then take your first left onto Haverhill Place behind the Medical Center to Park Way into the entrance to the upper levels of the Garage. There is elevator access from the upper levels of the Garage onto Merrimack Street.
To access the Garage from Merrimack Street, travel up How Street to a right on Bailey Boulevard, right on Haverhill Place and left on Park Way into the Garage.
To access the Garage from the north, simply take a right off Main Street at the Medical Center and follow the one-way section of Park Way into the Garage.
There are approximately 90 additional parking spots on the Ground Level of the Garage that will be accessed off Merrimack Street. However, this level is not yet open while construction continues on the new Pentucket Bank branch. Around 20 of these spots will be for Bank customers.
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I am excited to be going into tech rehearsals for my community theater show (through Voices of Hope, which raises money for cancer research – we are putting on the musical whodunit comedy “Curtains” at the North Shore Music Theater 4/18 and 4/19). I do have some availability during that time, so if you would like to get on my table, here are my upcoming openings:
Weds 4/8 1:00 (60, 75, or 90 minutes)
Mon 4/13 12:00 (60, 75, or 90 minutes)
Weds 4/15 11:00 (60, 75, or 90 minutes)
Fri 4/24 2:00/2:30/3:00 (60, 75, or 90 minutes)
Text me at 978-771-0377 or send me an email harmonyintegrativebodywork@yahoo.com to reserve your spot today!
Thanks, and please let me know if you have any questions about the parking. I’m still figuring it out myself and will share any important updates/changes to what we currently know,
Melissa