Connecticut Route 2

Route 2 is a 58.03-mile (93.39 km) state highway in Hartford and New London counties in Connecticut. It is a primary state route, with a freeway section connecting Hartford to Norwich and following surface roads to Stonington. The entire freeway section of Route 2 is also known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Highway.[1]

Route 2 marker

Route 2

Route 2 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CTDOT
Length58.03 mi (93.39 km)
Existed1932–present
Major junctions
West endColumbus Boulevard in Hartford
Major intersections
East end US 1 in Stonington
Location
CountryUnited States
StateConnecticut
Counties
Highway system
  • Connecticut State Highway System
US 1A Route 2A
Route 16N.E. Route 18

Route description

Route 2 begins as a continuation of State Street (just east of Columbus Blvd) near Interstate 91 in downtown Hartford. It starts out heading east toward East Hartford. Route 2 then crosses the Connecticut River on the Founders Bridge and has a partial interchange with I-91 at the crossing. Immediately after crossing into East Hartford, there is a complex interchange with Interstate 84. Immediately after this interchange, Route 2 heads southeast in the direction of Glastonbury. There is a partial interchange with Route 15 about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) further. After East Hartford, Route 2 enters Glastonbury. At the East Hartford-Glastonbury town line, there is a full trumpet interchange with Route 3. About 1 mile (1.6 km) after this interchange, there is a partial interchange with Route 17. From Glastonbury, Route 2 passes into Marlborough. It continues into Colchester. In Colchester, Route 2 has a partial interchange with Route 11. After this interchange, Route 2 curves and heads east toward Norwich. Once Route 2 leaves Colchester, it passes through the towns of Lebanon and Bozrah. After Bozrah, Route 2 enters Norwich. Just after entering Norwich, Route 32 joins Route 2. Then, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) down Route 2, there is a partial cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 395. About 1.75 miles (2.82 km) further east from the I-395 interchange, the freeway section of Route 2 ends at a four-way at-grade intersection with Town Street, Harland Road (Route 169), and Washington Street (Route 32/Route 2). Route 32 then separates in downtown Norwich after overlapping with Route 2 for 3.9 miles (6.3 km), following the west bank of the Thames River. Route 2 continues southeast from Norwich into Preston, and then into Ledyard. Just after entering Ledyard, Route 2 becomes an expressway again, passing by the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation and then the Foxwoods Resort Casino. After passing through Ledyard, Route 2 continues into North Stonington as a surface road. There is a roundabout with Route 184 and a partial interchange with Interstate 95 here. After leaving North Stonington, Route 2 heads into Stonington. Here, Route 2 is reduced to a minor arterial road. It has an interchange with Route 78 (Westerly Bypass) and terminates about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) later at the junction with US 1 in the Pawcatuck section of town just west of the Rhode Island state line.[1]

Route 2 westbound in Hartford, just before exits 2E, 2W and 3.

Several Connecticut freeways terminate at Route 2. Route 3 ends at Route 2 near the East Hartford-Glastonbury town line, Route 17 ends at Route 2 in Glastonbury, and Route 11 ends at Route 2 in Colchester. Route 78 also ends at Route 2, in Stonington. It is unusual that Route 78 intersects Route 2 where it is not a freeway.

History

Two early toll roads, the Hartford and New London Turnpike and the Colchester and Norwich Turnpike, followed the alignment of current Route 2 in the 1800s. In 1922, The New England Interstate system incorporated the future Route 2 alignment as Route 17. Upon the discontinuation of the New England routes in the 1932 state highway renumbering, the eastern half of old New England Route 17 was renumbered to Route 2. The western half of old New England Route 17 eventually formed part of U.S. Route 44.[2][3]

Freeway construction along the Route 2 alignment started in the 1950s and continued through the 1960s and early 1970s. The oldest freeway segment, between exits 5A and 7, opened in 1952; the latest segment, between exits 20 and 22, opened in 1971. The state still maintains some segments of the older, access highway alignment, but does not sign these segments as state routes. The state remanded the remaining access highway segments to town jurisdiction.[3]

Major intersections

Exit numbers are currently sequential, but are scheduled to be converted to mile-based numbering starting in 2023.[4]

CountyLocationmikmOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
HartfordHartford0.000.00Columbus Boulevard – Convention Center, Science CenterAt-grade intersection; continues west as State Street
0.030.0481
I-91 south New Haven
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 30 on I-91
Connecticut River0.03–
0.88
0.048–
1.42
Founders Bridge
East Hartford0.46–
0.98
0.74–
1.58
31A (WB)
1B (EB)
Pitkin Street / East River Drive / Darlin StreetPitkin Street/East River Drive signed eastbound, Darlin Street westbound; no eastbound entrance
0.881.422E1C (WB)
1A (EB)

I-84 east (US 6 east) / Governor Street (SR 500) Boston, East Hartford
Exits 54-55 on I-84; westbound entrance includes access to exit 1A; Governor Street exit was originally intended for the never-built I-284
2W1B


I-84 west (US 6 west) to I-91 north
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 55 on I-84
1.352.1741D

US 5 / Route 15 to I-91 south / East River Drive (SR 502)
No eastbound exit; exit 90 on US 5 / Route 15 / Wilbur Cross Highway
1.802.9052ARiverside Drive / Willow Street (SR 516)Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
2.80–
3.04
4.51–
4.89
5A2BHigh Street / Main StreetSigned for High Street eastbound, Main Street westbound; signed as exit 2 westbound; SR 517
3.275.265BSutton AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance (Cambridge Drive). Permanently closed as of January 2022
3.675.915C3Maple StreetNo westbound exit
4.417.105D4A
Route 3 south Glastonbury, Wethersfield
Northern terminus of Route 3; signed as exit 4 westbound
Glastonbury4.707.5664BGriswold Street – GlastonburyEastbound exit and westbound entrance
5.078.1675
Route 17 south Portland, South Glastonbury
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of Route 17
5.31–
6.01
8.55–
9.67
86
Route 94 east (Hebron Avenue) Glastonbury Center
Western terminus of Route 94
7.1211.4697Neipsic Road – GlastonburyEastbound exit and westbound entrance
9.9416.001010
Route 83 north East Glastonbury, Manchester
Southern terminus of Route 83
11.5618.601111Thompson Street / Wassuc Road – GlastonburyWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Marlborough13.4221.601213West Road / Business Route – MarlboroughEastbound exit and westbound entrance
15.4424.851315 Route 66 Willimantic, Marlborough
17.6628.421517South Main Street – MarlboroughWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
New LondonColchester20.3832.801620
Route 149 south / Westchester Road Westchester, Moodus
Northern terminus of Route 149
22.3736.001722Business Route – ColchesterEastbound exit and westbound entrance
23.7038.141823 Route 16 Colchester, Westchester, Middletown
24.3539.191924
Route 11 south New London
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of Route 11
25.0540.312025


Route 354 to Route 85 (Parum Road) / Route 11 south Salem, New London
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
26.03–
26.47
41.89–
42.60
2126Chestnut Hill Road / Business Route – ColchesterSigned for Chestnut Hill Road eastbound, Business Route westbound; SR 616
Lebanon30.9149.742230Scott Hill Road Gilman, Lebanon
Bozrah33.3253.622333
Route 163 south / Haughton Road Bozrah, Montville
Northern terminus of Route 163
34.5455.592434Fitchville Road (SR 608) – FitchvilleWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Norwich35.62–
36.33
57.32–
58.47
2535A
Route 32 north Franklin, Willimantic
Western terminus of Route 32 concurrency; signed as exit 35 eastbound; eastbound access via SR 642;
2735BOtrobando Avenue (SR 642) - YanticWestbound exit and entrance
Browning RoadEastbound entrance only
37.0059.552836
I-395 / Route 2A east New Haven, Worcester
Signed as exits 36 (south) and 37 (north) eastbound; no westbound access to I-395 north; northern terminus of Route 2A; exits 13A-B on I-395
37.7160.692938New London Turnpike – Norwichtown
38.1561.40Eastern end of freeway section

Route 169 north (Harland Road) Taftville
39.5263.60

Route 32 south / Route 82 west New London, Salem
Eastern end of Route 32 concurrency
39.8864.18
Route 12 south (Laurel Hill Avenue) Groton
Western end of Route 12 concurrency
40.1964.68
Route 12 north (North Main Street)
Eastern end of Route 12 concurrency
40.5265.21
Route 165 east Preston
Western terminus of Route 165
Preston42.9569.12


Route 2A west / Route 117 south to I-95 Ledyard, Poquetanuck
45.7073.55
Route 164 north Preston City
Southern terminus of Route 164
Ledyard47.2776.07Foxwoods Boulevard / Fox Tower Drive / Lake of Isles DriveInterchange
48.2077.57
Route 214 west / Foxwoods Boulevard Ledyard Center
Interchange; eastern terminus of Route 214
North Stonington50.3381.00
Route 201 north – Ashwillet, Glasgo
Western end of Route 201 concurrency
51.1182.25
Route 201 south Stonington
Eastern end of Route 201 concurrency
54.2987.37 Route 184 Old Mystic, Groton, Providence
55.2488.90
I-95 south New London
Exit 92 on I-95
Stonington56.0190.14
Route 49 north Sterling, Voluntown
Southern terminus of Route 49
56.6791.20 Route 78 Westerly, Rhode Island BeachesPartial interchange; western terminus of Route 78
58.0393.39 US 1 Mystic, Stonington, Westerly, RI
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. "Connecticut State Highway Log (2006)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  2. F.J. Wood, The Turnpikes of New England, (Marshall Jones, 1919)
  3. nycroads.com - CT Route 2
  4. "Replacement of Highway Signs and Sign Supports on Routes 2 3 11and 17 Mileage-Based Exit Numbering". Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
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