SUFFIELD, CT — Drivers facing detours on Copper Hill Road and Suffield Street could be waiting until spring for repairs to the failed culverts that closed both routes.
First Selectman Colin Moll outlined a January construction start and a spring completion target in his Nov. 1 column in The Suffield Observer.
"Work is expected to begin in January, with a hopeful completion date in mid-to-late spring," Moll wrote.
The town's current road advisory gives a more specific target for Copper Hill Road: construction beginning Jan. 4, 2027, with completion anticipated in the last week of April or first week of May. Those dates are estimates.
Suffield posted requests for proposals for both the Copper Hill Road culvert replacement and the Suffield Street project on Nov. 6.
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Copper Hill Road is closed to through traffic between Phelps Road and Stratton Farms Road. Southbound drivers can reach house No. 755, while northbound drivers can reach house No. 765. The town directs motorists to use Phelps Road or Mountain Road to get beyond the closure.
On Suffield Street, the closure is marked at Mather Street for southbound traffic and at the Windsor Locks town line for northbound traffic. Drivers must follow posted detours.
Moll wrote that residents had questioned the sudden closures and lengthy repair process. He said an engineering review identified structural problems, and plates initially allowed traffic to continue using the crossings.
He outlined subsequent design, funding and permitting work, including bonding approved at a February 2026 Town Meeting. Projects involving waterways can require state and federal environmental approvals, he wrote.
As Patch previously reported, an earlier effort to install a temporary bridge on Suffield Street stalled in September. Selectmen were not prepared to waive the town's bidding and purchasing policy to hire a contractor, and no action was taken.
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