Connecticut: Highways to Nowhere

For each of the links listed below you will be taken to a separate web page with information, external links, and aerial photos. Having a Connecticut highway road map handy is also useful, as you see where in the state these roads are. Many of them are in your own back yard, and you may even travel them daily!

Enjoy!

So how come there's a four-lane highway to Norwich and it just ENDS...?
CT 2 Expressway, From Hartford to Colchester to Norwich to North Stonington

Why is there a four-lane ridge over the Thames River near Mohegan, obviously built long before the casino was thought of?
CT 2A Expressway, Expressway Extension from Route 2/I-395 to Preston

Why is there this super nice bridge across the CT River to Glastonbury, where it just ENDS at Route 2?
CT 3 Expressway (I-491 and I-86) proposed beltway around Hartford

There's another short section of highway off I-84 going towards Farmington. What's with that?
CT 4 Expressway, From I-84 (at EXIT 39) with the proposed CT 10 Expressway in Farmington

US 6 Expressway to Providence. See Interstate 384.

CT 6A Expressway. See Interstate 691.

Why does the 4-lane divided Super 7 just END at a light in Norwalk near the DMV? Does it have anything to do with the part that passes by the Danbury Airport that also just ends?
CT 7 Expressway, (aka "Super 7" and I-284), from Norwalk through the Berkshires to Burlington VT

Why does Winsted have this really nice 4-lane divided highway going to it, where it also just ends there to a side road?
CT 8 Expressway , from Bridgeport to the Mass Turnpike

What's this I hear that Route 9 in Connecticut was never completed as planned?
CT 9 Expressway, from Granby CT across a bridge to Greenport, Long Island

Why are there several spurs from major highways going to Route 10 along its length? (40 connector off I-91, exit 29 off I-84, Rt 72 in Plainville, exit 39 off I-84just to name a few)
CT 10 Expressway, from New Haven to the Massachusetts border

Why do Willow Street and Blatchley Avenue rate such large entrance and exit ramps from I-91 in New Haven?
CT 10A Expressway, from I-91 to Whitney Avenue, then on to the CT 10 Expressway

What's the deal with Route 11? It REALLY ends literally in the middle of nowhere (and there's obvious evidence of a continuing road cut system southwards from it.)
CT 11 Expressway, from Colchester to Waterford/New London

How did the Berlin Turnpike (Route 15) rate such a large spur off I-91 and a large bridge as the Charter Oak Bridge?
CT 15 Expressway, ("I-484" Charter Oak Bypass), between Berlin Turnpike and I-84

I noticed that Route 17 south from Glastonbury also has a four-lane spur off Route 2, and a matching one off Route 9. How come?
CT 17 Expressway, from Glastonbury to Middletown

Bradley is a large airport, but the Connector is never really busy. Is there another reason for that four-lane highway?
CT 20 Expressway (CT 140), from Granby, past Bradley Airport, to Vernon

Boy, there must be some important folks living in Stepney to rate a four-lane highway to their doorstep. Or is there another reason for the Route 25 highway?
CT 25 Expressway, from Bridgeport to I-84 in Newtown

Why are there sections of Route 32 4-lane in the middle of nowhere?
CT 32 Expressway, From exit 84 in New London to I-84 in Willington

Seems rather odd that four-lane Route 34 ends under a parking garage in downtown New Haven. Did that building get dropped there by a UFO or something?
CT 34 Expressway, from New Haven to Derby, then on to "Super 7" in Ridgefield and NY Route 35

Here's another strange one: the "40 Connector" off I-91 to Route 10 in Mt. Carmel. Gotta be a good explanation for that one...
CT 40 Expressway, from CT 10 Expressway to I-95 in Branford

CT 44 Expressway. See US Highway 44.

CT 52 Expressway. Became I-395.

CT 58 Expressway, Exit 8 off I-84 to downtown Bethel (never built)

CT 66 Expressway. See Interstate 691.

Why on Earth is there a four-lane divided highway spur off I-84 going through Plainville?!?
CT 72 Expressway, from Plainville west to the CT 8 Expressway Thomaston

How come there's a rather large exit from CT 8 north of I-84 which ends less than a mile later at a stop light...?
CT 73 Expressway, from Route 8 in Waterbury northwest to Watertown.

I know that Hammonassett State Park is popular, but does it need a four-lane entrance highway?
CT 79 Expressway, Hammonassett State Park to CT 9 Expressway

CT 83 Expressway, from East Glastonbury through Manchester and Somers CT terminating in Longmeadow MA. Intended to continue to Springfield MA (never built)

CT Route 137, Pound Ridge-Stamford Parkway (never built)

CT 189 Expressway, "the Woods River Boulevard," extension of CT 9 Expressway northward to the CT 20 Expressway (never built)

There is a rather large bridge over the CT River, connecting Suffield to Enfield. I'm sure those guys like each other, but why build that bridge in the middle of nowhere?
CT 190 Expressway (Thompsonville Bridge), from I-91 in Enfield west to CT 75 in Suffield, continuing to the CT 20 Expressway

Why does Sherwood Island State Park rate a four-lane highway entrance?
Sherwood-Island Parkway

US Highway 44, the "Northwest Expressway," from West Hartford to North Canaan (never built)

Interstate 86. See Interstate 384

A bridge over Long Island Sound at New Haven? Or, "why does I-91 end so abruptly in New Haven?"
Interstate 91, the Shoreham New Haven Bridge over Long Island Sound

Interstate 284, "The Prospect Street Bypass" (never built)

Why does a city as large as Hartford not have a bypass highway? Or, "What's with all those highway spurs all over the city of Hartford?"
Interstate 291, Beltway around Hartford
Hartford Loop - Hartford's Proposed Freeway Network, Scott Oglesby

Why does Hartford have a four-lane diving right into the heart of the city (Pulaski Circle)?
Interstate 484, "The Whitehead Highway"

Why does "Interstate" 384 just go out to Bolton Notch and just stop there?
Interstate 384, from Manchester to Providence via Willimantic
                        See Also: Route 6 Coalition at http://members.aol.com/rtesix/

Interstate 491. See CT 3 Expressway

Another Long Island Bridge, this time at Groton?
Interstate 495 and 395 spur, The Eastern Long Island Sound Bridge (never built)

Interstate 691, The 6A Expressway, from I-84 in Southington to the proposed US 6 Expressway in the Columbia-Willimantic area (current Route 66)

Ever wonder why Interstate 287 south in New York just ENDS at Interstate 95? It wasn't supposed to!
NY State I-287, the Oyster Bay-Rye Bridge

New Haven Loop - See CT 10 and CT 40 Expressways

RI Route 

General CT highway info (Deep-links to Steve Anderson's NYCRoads.com):

Interstate 95, "The Connecticut Turnpike", aka "Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike", aka New England Thruway, aka "The Greenwich-Killingly Expressway" (new residents may not even know it used to have tolls along its length...)

Interstate 84 The "East-West" or "Yankee" Expressway

Interstate 91 "The North-South Expressway"

Interstate 395 -"The CT 52 Expressway"

Interesting Highway Information Links

Scott Oglesby's "Connecticut Roads" web site: http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/

http://www.nycroads.com - with info on CT roads as well.

Michael G. Koerner's Highway Feature of the Week http://www.crosswinds.net/~mgk920/hfotw/hfotw.html

Douglas Kerr's "Connecticut Roadtrips" http://www.gribblenation.com/roadtrips/connecticut/

T466's "The Connecticut Turnpike" http://hometown.aol.com/conntnpke/index.html