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Sunderland Culvert RT7 Construction Project

Posted: July 17th, 2026

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) awarded and executed the construction contract for the Sunderland BM20102 and Sunderland NH CULV(122) projects to Belden Construction, LLC, of Rutland, Vermont, in June 2026.

The Sunderland U.S. Route 7 Culvert Replacement Projects will replace the culverts at Bridge #19-5 and Bridge #19-7 on U.S. Route 7 (U.S. 7), located approximately 1.1 miles and 0.5 miles south of the U.S. 7/VT Route 313 intersection, with new precast concrete box culverts.

The contractor is expected to mobilize to the project area in late July, with construction activities beginning in early August and continuing through late October 2026.

Construction will require a 14-day closure of U.S. 7 between Exit 2 in Bennington and Exit 3 in Arlington. During this closure: Traffic will be detoured via VT 7A and VT 313. Super loads will continue north on VT 7A through Manchester or use U.S. Route 4 in New York. The contractor is responsible for determining the exact closure dates. The current tentative closure window is September 12–25, 2026, although these dates remain subject to change.

Additional information about the construction schedule and traffic control plan will be shared during a hybrid Construction Public Meeting this August. Members of the AOT Project Team and the contractor will be available to provide project information and answer questions.

UPCOMING CONSTRUCTION PUBLIC MEETING:
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
Join the AOT Project Team and contractor for a hybrid informational Construction Public Meeting.

Attend in person:
Arlington Memorial High School
Performing Arts Center
529 E. Arlington Road
Arlington, VT 05250

Attend online via Zoom:
Webinar Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89372512486
To join by phone, dial: +1 (309) 205-3325
Webinar ID: 893 7251 2486

Meeting Agenda The meeting will begin with a PowerPoint presentation covering:

• An overview of the two culvert replacement projects
• Construction phasing and schedule
• Anticipated traffic impacts
• Details of the planned 14-day U.S. 7 closure and detour route
• Opportunities for stakeholders to stay informed throughout construction

Following the presentation, both in-person and online attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the AOT Project Team and contractor. The meeting will conclude after the question-and-answer session.

We encourage anyone interested in learning more about the projects and their anticipated impacts to attend.

Meeting Accessibility
The Agency of Transportation will ensure public meetings are accessible to all people. Requests for free interpretive or translation services, assistive devices, or other reasonable accommodations should be made to the Title VI Coordinator. Please email AOT.CRTitleVI@vermont.gov, or call: 802-595-6959, TTY: 800-253-0191. Requests should be made as soon as possible, preferably seven business days before the meeting.


Posted/Author: Vermont Agency of Transportation

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