U.S. Route 5 in Connecticut
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North end | US 5 at the Massachusetts state line in Enfield | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Connecticut | |
Counties | New Haven, Hartford | |
Highway system | ||
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U.S. Route 5 (US 5), a north–south
US 5 begins at exit 5 of I-91 northeast of Downtown New Haven, heading north through the suburbs of New Haven. It crosses the Quinnipiac River in North Haven, shifting eastward to a different road. US 5 continues north through the town of Wallingford before entering the city of Meriden. North of Meriden, it becomes a four-lane arterial road known as the Berlin Turnpike, where a long overlap with Route 15 also begins. US 5 continues through the southern suburbs of Hartford along the Berlin Turnpike, shifting just south of the city line to the Wilbur Cross Highway, a freeway. The Wilbur Cross Highway bypasses Downtown Hartford and crosses the Connecticut River on the Charter Oak Bridge into East Hartford. From here, US 5 exits the Wilbur Cross Highway and runs along a four-lane, divided surface road to South Windsor before returning to a two-lane road the rest of the way to the Massachusetts state line in Enfield.
US 5 roughly follows the route used by the
Route description
New Haven County
US 5 begins on State Street at exit 5 of
The bridge ends at a four-way intersection where US 5 turns left on Washington Avenue, Route 22 continues straight on Clintonville Road, and
After crossing Center Street (
At the merge with Route 150 just before the town line, US 5 then follows South Broad Street (the alignment of the old Hartford and New Haven Turnpike) into the city of Meriden. South Broad Street becomes Broad Street after the intersection with Hall Avenue as it passes by the eastern part of the city, avoiding the downtown area. Past Olive Street, the road becomes divided with a wide grassy median. At the north end of the divided section, it has an intersection with East Main Street, the main east–west business route through the city. About 0.7 miles (1.1 km) north of East Main Street, US 5 has an interchange with I-691 (at exit 8). At the intersection with Brittania Street, the road becomes North Broad Street, which climbs up on a slope as it meets with the north end of the Wilbur Cross Parkway. The northbound roadway overpasses the parkway and then merges onto it from the right. This is the beginning of a 15-mile (24 km) overlap with Route 15. Southbound at the beginning of the parkway, US 5 is signed as an exit (with no number) from the main roadway. North Broad Street continues north from the merge as a divided four-lane surface road for another 1.1 miles (1.8 km) up to the Berlin town line, where the road becomes the Berlin Turnpike.[1][2]
Hartford County
US 5 and Route 15 run for 10 miles (16 km) along the Berlin Turnpike within the towns of Berlin,
From East Hartford northward to the Massachusetts state line, US 5 runs along the east bank of the Connecticut River. Main Street in East Hartford is mostly a four-lane divided surface road. It crosses under
After crossing into the town of East Windsor, the roadway becomes two lanes wide with auxiliary left turn lanes and is known as South Main Street. It intersects with Route 191 (Phelps Street), which leads to the East Windsor town center. About half a mile (0.80 km) north of this junction, US 5 leaves Main Street to go on Prospect Hill Road, bypassing the Warehouse Point area. There is also a partial interchange with I-91 in this area (at exit 44). Just south of the Enfield town line, US 5 intersects with Route 140, which crosses the Connecticut River into the town of Windsor Locks and Bradley International Airport.[1][4]
In Enfield, the road becomes known as King Street, crossing over I-91 with a full interchange (exit 46). As it approaches the town center, the road becomes known as Enfield Street. It has a grade-separated intersection with Route 190 in this area. Just before going across the state line, US 5 crosses over I-91 again (at exit 49) and becomes Longmeadow Street as it enters the town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts.[1][4]
History
The
Along this route between New Haven and Hartford, the
In the 1910s, Connecticut and Massachusetts adopted a system of marking major roads by colors. The route from New Haven to Springfield, crossing the Connecticut River at Hartford, was marked with blue bands, signifying a major north–south route. This route crossed the
When the
US 5 was designated in 1926 along the Route 2 alignment.[10] Between 1926 and 1932, US 5 and Route 2 were cosigned throughout the length of the route.[11] In the 1932 state highway renumbering, the Route 2 designation was removed, leaving only the US 5 designation. Only a small number of changes have been made since then, the most prominent being in the cities of New Haven and Hartford.
US 5 initially used Temple Street, Whitney Avenue, Edwards Street, and upper State Street in New Haven, beginning at US 1 (Chapel Street).[12] By the 1940s, it had been moved onto a bypass of the downtown area, consisting of Edwards Street, Hillside Place, Munson Street, Henry Street, Sherman Avenue, Winthrop Avenue, and Davenport Avenue, ending at US 1 west of downtown. At the time, it still crossed the river on Middletown Avenue; the route leaving to the north on State Street was signed as an alternate route.[13] The main and alternate routes were swapped by the mid-1950s, and US 5 was sent down East Street to US 1. (The alternate is now Route 103.) The old bypass became extensions of Route 80 and Route 10[14] but is now unnumbered. The final changes truncated US 5 to I-91 when I-91 opened in 1966 in New Haven[15] and relocated US 5 to the new Route 22 connector across I-91 in North Haven in 1973, leaving the old route on Broadway as unsigned State Road 729.[16]
In Hartford, the original alignment of US 5 entered the city on Maple Avenue and made its way to the
In the early 1940s, several sections of US 5 in the Hartford area were upgraded to four-lane boulevards. The Berlin Turnpike segment was reconstructed as a four-lane expressway, with several segments also straightened out. In East Hartford and South Windsor, a new four-lane expressway, John Fitch Boulevard, was also constructed. Both of these roadways opened in 1942.
Special designations
Many sections of various state highways in Connecticut have commemorative designations for various veterans organizations or groups, as well as military servicemembers and Connecticut state troopers killed in the line of duty. In the case of US 5, most of its non-expressway alignment except for the Berlin Turnpike has been given a commemorative designation by the Connecticut General Assembly over the years. The following segments of US 5 have such designations:
- The portion from the Hamden–North Haven town line to Devine Street (SR 720) in North Haven is also known as the "Korean War Veterans Chapter 204 Memorial Highway".[22]
- The portion from Devine Street (SR 720) to Bishop Street in North Haven is also known as the "VFW Post 10128 Memorial Highway".[22]
- The Route 5/Route 22 connector between State Street and Washington Avenue in North Haven is also known as the "Officer Timothy W. Laffin Memorial Highway". Timothy Laffin was a North Haven Police officer who lost his life in a motor vehicle accident while pursuing a wanted suspect.[23]
- South Colony Street in Wallingford, running from the North Haven–Wallingford town line to Route 150 in Wallingford Center, is also known as the "American Legion Shaw-Sinon Post 73 Memorial Highway".[24]
- South Broad Street from the northern Route 150 junction in Wallingford to the Meriden town line is also known as the "VFW Connecticut Ladies Auxiliary Highway".[25]
- The portion from the I-84 junction in East Hartford to the East Windsor–Enfield town line is also known as the "Purple Heart Highway".[26]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
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Southern terminus; exit 1F on I-91 | ||||||
North Haven | 4.66 | 7.50 | Dixwell Avenue (SR 717) | |||
4.74 | 7.63 | Mount Carmel, Cheshire | Exit 1D on Route 40 | |||
4.81 | 7.74 | Devine Street (SR 720) | ||||
5.69 | 9.16 | Broadway (SR 729) | Old US 5 and Route 22 | |||
5.82 | 9.37 | Mount Carmel | South end of Route 22 overlap | |||
6.21 | 9.99 | I-91 south – New Haven | Exit 7 on I-91 | |||
6.48 | 10.43 | Montowese | North end of Route 22 overlap | |||
7.19 | 11.57 | Exit 8 on I-91 | ||||
SR 702 | ||||||
11.42 | 18.38 | Route 150 – Yalesville, Northford | ||||
13.58 | 21.85 | One-quadrant interchange | ||||
13.96 | 22.47 | Wilbur Cross Parkway ) | ||||
14.42 | 23.21 | Route 71 north (Old Colony Road) – Meriden | Old US 5A | |||
14.88 | 23.95 | Route 150 south (Broad Street) – Yalesville | ||||
Meriden | 17.81 | 28.66 | I-691 to I-84 / Route 66 east – Middletown, Waterbury | Exit 2A on I-691 | ||
19.30 | 31.06 | I-91 south – New Haven | Interchange; south end of Route 15 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
Hartford | Berlin | 23.99– 24.35 | 38.61– 39.19 | Route 9 / Route 372 – Middletown, New Britain, East Berlin | Interchange; exits 31-32 on Route 9; southbound access to Route 372 via Worthington Ridge Road (SR 572) | |
25.17 | 40.51 | Route 160 east – Rocky Hill | ||||
Newington | 26.67 | 42.92 | Route 173 north – West Hartford | |||
27.29 | 43.92 | Route 176 west – Newington | ||||
28.68 | 46.16 | Route 287 west – Newington | South end of Route 287 overlap | |||
28.75 | 46.27 | Route 287 east – Wethersfield | North end of Route 287 overlap | |||
Wethersfield | 29.38 | 47.28 | Route 175 – Newington, New Britain, Wethersfield | Interchange | ||
30.30 | 48.76 | Southern end of freeway section | ||||
Route 314 east (Berlin Turnpike north) to Maple Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||||
32.22 | 51.85 | 85 | Route 99 south – Wethersfield, Rocky Hill | Exit numbers follow Route 15 | ||
Signed as exits 86 (I-91 south), 87 (Brainard) and 89 (I-91 north); no southbound access to I-91 north; exits 35B-36 on I-91 | ||||||
Connecticut River | 33.97– 34.62 | 54.67– 55.72 | Charter Oak Bridge | |||
East Hartford | 34.36 | 55.30 | 90 | Route 15 north (Wilbur Cross Highway) to I-84 east – Boston | North end of Route 15 overlap | |
Route 2 / East River Drive – Norwich | Exit 1D on Route 2; northbound exit and entrance | |||||
Northern end of freeway section | ||||||
East River Drive Extension (SR 502 west) | South end of SR 502 overlap (southbound only) | |||||
35.14 | 56.55 | Silver Lane (SR 502 east) | North end of SR 502 overlap (southbound only) | |||
35.47 | 57.08 | I-84 west (US 6 west) – Hartford | Northbound exit only; no access to I-84 east | |||
35.82 | 57.65 | South end of US 44 overlap | ||||
36.18 | 58.23 | US 44 east (Burnside Avenue) – Manchester | North end of US 44 overlap | |||
South Windsor | 38.63 | 62.17 | Route 30 east (Ellington Road) – Rockville, Ellington | |||
38.75 | 62.36 | I-291 to I-84 – Manchester, Windsor | Exit 2 on I-291 | |||
42.49 | 68.38 | Route 194 east (Sullivan Avenue) – South Windsor, Manchester | ||||
East Windsor | 44.96 | 72.36 | Route 191 east (Phelps Road) – Broad Brook, Melrose | |||
46.47 | 74.79 | Main Street (SR 510) | ||||
46.73 | 75.20 | I-91 – Hartford, Springfield | Exit 50 on I-91 | |||
47.75 | 76.85 | Route 140 (Bridge Street / North Road) – Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Ellington, Broad Brook | ||||
Enfield | 48.60 | 78.21 | Depot Hill Road (SR 510) | Old Route 20 | ||
49.31 | 79.36 | I-91 – Hartford, Springfield | Exit 52 on I-91 | |||
51.98 | 83.65 | Frew Terrace (SR 515) | ||||
52.04 | 83.75 | I-91 – Suffield, Hazardville | Access via SR 514 and SR 515 | |||
52.09 | 83.83 | Franklin Street (SR 514) | ||||
52.61 | 84.67 | Route 220 east (Elm Street) – E. Longmeadow MA | Old Route 190 | |||
54.25 | 87.31 | I-91 – Hartford, Springfield | Exit 57 on I-91 | |||
54.59 | 87.85 | US 5 north – Longmeadow, Springfield | Massachusetts state line | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Highway Log: Connecticut State Numbered Routes And Roads" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. December 31, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Google (April 9, 2008). "overview map of US 5 south of Meriden" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
- ^ Google (April 9, 2008). "overview map of US 5 from Meriden to Hartford" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
- ^ a b c Google (April 9, 2008). "overview map of US 5 north of Hartford" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
- ^ S. Jenkins, The Old Boston Post Road (G.P. Putnam and Sons, New York and London, 1914)
- ^ Frederic James Wood, The Turnpikes of New England and Evolution of the Same Through England, Virginia, and Maryland, 1919, pp. 349-351, 386-387
- ^ Porter E. Sargent, A Handbook of New England, 1916, pp. 65, 106-130
- New York Times, Motor Sign Uniformity, April 16, 1922, page 98
- ^ Rand McNally, Tydol Trails: New England Trails Road Marking System and Color Band Routes, 1922
- .
- ^ Automobile Legal Association Green Book, 1931/32 edition, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1931)
- ^ a b Automobile Blue Book, Vol. 1, 1927 (Automobile Blue Books Inc., New York, 1927).
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Haven, 1943/1947
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Haven, 1949/1954
- ^ "Rte. I-91 opened in to New Haven", Hartford Times, 1966-01-06
- ^ National Bridge Inventory Database: Structure No. 2648
- ^ Connecticut Department of Transportation, 1941 official highway map
- New York Times, Hartford Opens Charter Oak Span, September 6, 1942, page 30
- U.S. Geological Survey, Hartford North, 1943/1945
- ^ "Scott Oglesby, Connecticut Roads, US 5". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ Larry Larned, Route 15: The Road to Hartford, (Arcadia, 2002)
- ^ a b "Connecticut General Assembly, Public Act 03-115". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ "Connecticut General Assembly, Public Act 05-210". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ "Connecticut General Assembly, Public Act 01-105". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ "Connecticut General Assembly, Public Act 07-232". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ "State roads and bridges with names commemorating veterans organizations or groups". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
External links