The Route 106 closure that began October 7 and the South Avenue paving that keeps getting rescheduled come from the same project. Both trace back to Aquarion's 36-inch water main, which has been working its way through New Canaan since 2022. Its last pieces this year depend on a date set by the state's paving season rather than the town's: asphalt plants close December 15. Everything on New Canaan's fall calendar, from Grace Farms on a Saturday afternoon to the Silvermine Artisans Market in November, now happens around that deadline.
One Pipe, Two Detours
The Town of New Canaan's 2023 project announcement describes a new 36-inch main running parallel to the existing one under Route 106, which is Silvermine Road. The New Canaan phase started at Valley Road and ran about 1.6 miles southwest to Clapboard Hill. The finished line is meant to connect the Belden Hill Tanks in Wilton to Farm Road in New Canaan. In the same corridor, Eversource Gas planned about 1.6 miles of 16-inch gas pipeline between New Canaan and Wilton.
The main is a section of what Aquarion calls the Southwest Regional Pipeline. It carries water from the Greater Bridgeport System to Southwest Fairfield County, an area that includes New Canaan, Darien, Stamford and Greenwich. In a 2021 public hearing presentation, Aquarion gave three reasons for the pipeline: adequate public water supply, drought resilience, and meeting reservoir-release requirements in the region. Not everyone describes its local role the same way. NewCanaanite reported in September that Selectman Steve Karl said the through-main does not serve New Canaan residents directly and is intended to move water from Bridgeport toward Stamford and Greenwich.
According to NewCanaanite, the project was made public in 2019 and launched in 2022 with a planned three-year schedule. In October 2026 it is in its fifth construction season. Most of the pipe is in the ground, and the remaining work is restoring the roads above it.
What the Crews Are Doing on Silvermine Road
The Department of Public Works update dated October 8 lists Route 106 from Valley Road to Canoe Hill Road as closed daily from October 7 to mid-November. Detours are in place, and only emergency vehicles, school buses and local traffic can pass through the work zone. The town has not published the detour route in its updates.
The state's contractor on this stretch is Waters Construction Co., which is based in Bridgeport. NewCanaanite reported that Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the Board of Selectmen that the job means milling out the entire road surface nine inches deep, fixing the base and then repaving the full road. He said the paving had already been delayed twice. The contractor estimated four weeks. Mann said six was more realistic, and the New Canaan Sentinel quoted his advice to residents: "just avoid the area, just to drive the detour."
Six weeks from October 7 lands in the third week of November, which matters once the state's paving calendar is laid next to it.
The Clock Behind the Closure
Mann explained the state's seasonal deadlines at the same selectmen's meeting, as NewCanaanite reported:
- November 1. Connecticut enters "winter conditions."
- November 15. Temperature restrictions on paving begin.
- December 15. Asphalt plants close for the season.
Mann's six-week estimate runs past the November 15 temperature limits. If the job takes that long, the last of the Silvermine Road paving depends on the weather cooperating. Mann said the contractor is "pushing against the clock," but has said it will make the deadline.
After the Canoe Hill-to-Valley stretch is done, one more short piece remains. Valley Road between Silvermine Road and the bridge into Wilton should take about a week, according to Mann. That week has to fit before the plants close too.
South Avenue Is Open, but It Isn't Finished
South Avenue is the other front, and it shows what happens when a job misses the window. The New Canaan Sentinel reported in August that Aquarion had finished installing the pipe there, with paving waiting on successful testing. In a September 15 report, NewCanaanite said that a Saturday crew had mobilized at 6:50 a.m. for an 8 a.m. start. The state Department of Transportation then suspended all Saturday work by that contractor at that location and required a new plan for permanent trench restoration and paving.
The tentative proposal that followed, not yet approved at the time of that report, is a two-step fix. Crews would mill and pave South Avenue two inches deep from Brooks Road to Farm Road this fall to give a temporary winter surface, then return for full-depth trench restoration. The Sentinel's September 17 briefing put the permanent repaving possibly in 2027.
The timing of the temporary layer is still unsettled. At the October 6 selectmen's meeting, temporary paving was expected to start around October 20 and take five to six workdays, with full-depth restoration next summer. The DPW's October 8 update says final paving on South Avenue and Farm Road is "suspended until further notice," with a new schedule still being developed.
Here is where the main roads stood as of the town's October 9 update:
| Road | Status on October 9 | What's still pending |
|---|---|---|
| Route 106/Silvermine Road, Valley Rd to Canoe Hill Rd | Closed except for emergency vehicles, school buses and local traffic | Full-depth reconstruction through mid-November |
| South Avenue | Open | Temporary fall paving; full-depth restoration targeted for next summer |
| Farm Road | Open | Final paving, not yet scheduled |
| Harrison Avenue | Open | Not listed |
| Valley Road, Silvermine Rd to the Wilton bridge | Not yet started | About one week, after Route 106 |
The same corridor continues into Wilton. A Wilton public works update from July 10 reported reconstruction from Old Boston Road to Katydid Lane complete, with no date yet for the final two-inch asphalt top course. Aquarion's June 17 notice describes coordinated Aquarion, CT DOT and Eversource work on Route 106 in both towns.
Planning the Season Around the Work Zone
The fall calendar now runs alongside these closures. Several dates fall near the work, and one major event sits on the Route 106 corridor itself.
- Saturday, October 17. Grace Farms holds Tea Diplomacy from 2 to 3 p.m.
- Sunday, October 18. The town's October newsletter says Waveny Park is closed to everyone except Caffeine & Carburetors participants from sunrise to noon.
- Through October 22. Silvermine Arts Center's 76th A•ONE exhibition is on view.
- Saturday, October 24. Grace Farms hosts a Founders Architecture Talk from 2 to 3 p.m.
- November 7 and 8. The Silvermine Artisans Market takes place at 1037 Silvermine Road. A participating maker lists hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days.
- Wednesday, November 11. The Glass House and New Canaan Library co-host Places Change People at the Library, 151 Main Street, at 6 p.m.
- Sunday, November 15. Music at Grace Farms features Nemanja Radulović and Double Sens.
- Saturday, November 21. The New Canaan Nature Center holds its Holiday Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Artisans Market is the one most affected by the paving schedule. It falls in the middle of the Route 106 closure window, and the arts center's address is on Silvermine Road. Silvermine Arts Center's standard directions send drivers from the Merritt Parkway up Route 123 and Route 106, then right onto Silvermine Road for one mile. Those directions do not mention the current closure. Check the arts center's access and the DPW's daily update before heading out that weekend.
Downtown Has Given People New Reasons to Go the Other Way
While Silvermine is a work zone, the downtown blocks off Main and Elm have added several new shops this year.
The Amateur opened at 70 Main Street this summer in a former gallery space that had been empty for several years. It sells technical apparel and accessories from independent and emerging brands, with no hard goods. Running and cycling are the core for now, and the shop plans to add alpine skiing as winter approaches, NewCanaanite reported.
On Elm Street, Dry Martini Clothing announced through NewCanaanite a September 12 opening for its second physical shop. Kset, a women's clothing shop that first opened on Elm Street earlier this year, has moved to 6 South Avenue, according to NewCanaanite. That stretch of South Avenue is open to traffic and still waiting for its own paving.
As of the October 8 update, no new paving schedule for South Avenue and Farm Road had been posted. The town's Department of Public Works construction page posts the latest status, and DPW takes questions at (203) 594-3054.
Roadwork like this matters if you're planning a listing, a showing schedule or a move date in New Canaan this fall or next summer. CT Home Keys follows these timelines closely and can help you plan around them. Request a Private Market Consultation, and Serena Richards will walk you through how the season's schedule affects your plans.
