Connecticut Route 9

Route 9 is a 40.89-mile (65.81 km) four-lane expressway beginning in Old Saybrook and ending at I-84 near the FarmingtonWest Hartford town line. It connects the Eastern Coastline of the state along with the Lower Connecticut River Valley to Hartford and the Capital Region.

Route 9 marker

Route 9

Route information
Maintained by CTDOT
Length40.89 mi (65.81 km)
Existed1932[1] (truncated in 1969)–present
Major junctions
South end I-95 / US 1 in Old Saybrook
Major intersections Route 17 / Route 66 in Middletown

Route 99 in Cromwell

I-91 in Cromwell
Route 372 / US 5 / Route 15 / Berlin Turnpike in Berlin
Route 72 in New Britain
North end I-84 / US 6 at the FarmingtonWest Hartford town line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateConnecticut
CountiesMiddlesex, Hartford
Highway system
  • Connecticut State Highway System
Route 8 Route 9A
Route 9N.E. Route 11

Route description

Route 9 is a four-lane freeway for most of its length. It begins at I-95/U.S. 1 exit 69, on the west bank of the Connecticut River. It runs northwesterly, parallel to the river for approximately 25 miles (40 km) between Old Saybrook and Route 99 in Cromwell. Along the river, it passes through the towns of Essex, Deep River, Chester, Haddam, and Middletown). After its junction with Interstate 91 in Cromwell, Route 9 continues westward then northward, running through the Hartford area towns/cities of Berlin, New Britain, Newington, and Farmington. At the junction with I-84/US 6 near the Farmington - West Hartford town line, Route 9 follows the ramps for eastbound I-84 and ends at the merge with I-84 immediately after crossing the town line.

Route 9 has a non-freeway portion in the downtown area of Middletown, where it overlaps with Route 17. The non-freeway portion is 0.35 miles (0.56 km) in length and consists of two at-grade intersections with traffic lights (signed as exits 23C and 24), and one southbound at-grade intersection with Miller Street. One of these intersections is where Route 17 leaves Route 9 to join Route 66. ConnDOT is currently considering modifications to this section of Route 9 which would remove the traffic lights to reduce collisions and improve traffic flow.[2]

The section from I-95 in Old Saybrook to I-91 in Cromwell is known as the Chester Bowles Highway. The section from I-91 in Cromwell to exit 24 in Berlin is known as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. The section from Route 72 in New Britain to Route 175 in Newington is known as the Taras Shevchenko Expressway. The section from Route 175 in Newington to the junction with I-84 is known as the Iwo Jima Memorial Expressway.

History

The road connecting Deep River (then known as Saybrook) and Wethersfield along the west bank of the Connecticut River was a toll road known as the Middlesex Turnpike, which operated from 1802 to 1876. Another toll road running from Hartford to the northwest corner of Granby was known as the Granby Turnpike and operated from 1800 to 1854.

The state took over maintenance of trunk highways at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1922, New England began publicly numbering its state roads. The road running from Old Saybrook to the Massachusetts state line in Granby was designated as part of Route 10, a multi-state route continuing all the way to northern New Hampshire. The portion of New England Route 10 in Connecticut used the alignments of the Middlesex and Granby Turnpikes. In the 1932 state highway renumbering, Route 10 was relocated to a different alignment beginning in New Haven instead. The Old Saybrook to Granby road was designated as Route 9.[1]

In the mid-1950s and early 1960s, various plans for a freeway along the Route 9 alignment were developed. Construction also began on the Old Saybrook to Cromwell segment around this time. The freeway from I-95 to I-91 was completely open by 1969. Old Route 9 south of Middletown was re-designated as Route 9A (later to be designated as Route 154).

Several options were considered and then later abandoned for the freeway portion through Hartford and points north. By the mid-1960s, a Route 9 freeway alignment through Hartford was finally abandoned. Route 9 was truncated to end at I-91 in Cromwell instead. The portion of old Route 9 from Hartford to Granby was assigned as an extension of Route 189, while the Cromwell to Hartford segment that was not upgraded to freeway was re-designated as Route 99.

In 1979, the eastern end of the Route 72 freeway up to the Berlin Turnpike was completed, including a connector to the planned alignment of Interstate 291 in New Britain. By this time, however, this portion of Interstate 291 had been deleted from the state's Interstate network. By 1989, a freeway connection was completed between the north end of Route 9 at I-91 and the east end of Route 72 at the Berlin Turnpike. Route 72 was truncated to end at the I-291 connector while Route 9 was extended along the deleted portion of the Route 72 freeway. Route 9 also took over the I-291 connector, which was extended in 1986 to Route 175.

In 1992 Route 9 was finally connected to I-84 in Farmington using a portion of the cancelled I-291 right of way, completing Route 9 as it exists today. The segment between I-84 in Farmington and I-91 in Cromwell serves the areas through which the southwest leg of I-291 was to be built; I-291 would have provided a parallel route to the north connecting roughly between Exit 29 (Route 175) on Route 9, to a new exit north of Exit 22 on I-91.

Exit list

Exit numbers have been converted to mile-based numbering as of January, 2023.

CountyLocationmikmOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
MiddlesexOld Saybrook0.00–
0.40
0.00–
0.64
1 I-95 / US 1 New London, Providence, New Haven, New York CityExit 69 on I-95 / US 1; signed as exits 1A (north) and 1B (south); trumpet interchange; southern terminus
0.610.981Ferry PointNorthbound exit and southbound entrance via Essex Road
1.542.4822 Route 154 (Middlesex Turnpike) Old Saybrook
Essex3.916.2933
Route 154 to Route 153 Essex
Also provides access to Centerbrook, Ivoryton, and Westbrook
5.218.3845 Route 154 (Middlesex Turnpike)Also provides access to Centerbrook and Ivoryton
Deep River7.0111.2856 Route 80 Deep River
Chester8.9314.3768 Route 148 Chester
10.6917.20710
Route 82 east Haddam, East Haddam
West end of Route 82, also provides access to Goodspeed Opera House and Moodus, via swing bridge
Haddam13.9322.42813Beaver Meadow Road
15.7425.33915 Route 81 Higganum, Killingworth, Clinton
Higganum19.4331.271019
Route 154 south / Aircraft Road
North end of Route 154
Middletown21.3134.301121

Route 155 west to Route 17 Durham
Randolph Rd, East end of Route 155
22.41
22.86
36.07
36.79
1222Bow Lane (northbound) / Silver Street (southbound) Harbor Area
23.3437.561323A
Route 17 south / South Main Street
South end of Route 17 concurrency; no northbound exit
23.7038.141423BDeKoven Drive Harbor AreaSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
23.9438.53Northern end of freeway section
1523C

To Route 66 west Middletown, Meriden
At-grade intersection; signed as exit 23 northbound
24.2939.091624


Route 17 north to Route 66 east Portland, Willimantic
At-grade intersection; north end of Route 17 concurrency
24.4639.3617Miller Street / Bridge StreetSouthbound at-grade intersection
Southern end of freeway section
Cromwell25.3040.721825
Route 99 north Cromwell, Rocky Hill
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; south end of Route 99
27.6144.431927 Route 372 (West Street) Cromwell
29.28–
29.58
47.12–
47.60
2029-30 I-91 Hartford, Springfield, New Haven, New York CitySigned as exits 29 (north) and 30 (south)
HartfordBerlin31.6850.982131

Route 372 / US 5 north / Route 15 north (Berlin Turnpike) East Berlin
Northbound exit and southbound entrance
32.1651.76 US 5 / Route 15 (Berlin Turnpike) Hartford, New HavenSouthbound exit and entrance
32.2951.972232

US 5 south / Route 15 south (Berlin Turnpike) New Haven
Northbound exit and entrance
32.3752.09 Route 372 (Mill Street)Southbound exit only
33.0553.192333Christian Lane BerlinSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
34.0754.832434

To Route 372 / Route 71 Kensington
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; unsigned SR 571
New Britain35.1356.542535
Ellis Street to Route 71 Kensington
Signed for Ellis Street northbound, Route 71 southbound
35.3956.952636Columbus Boulevard Downtown New BritainNorthbound exit only
35.7457.522736Chestnut StreetSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
35.84–
36.40
57.68–
58.58
2837A

Route 72 west to I-84 Bristol
Signed as exit 37 northbound
36.0858.0728A37BEast Main Street Downtown New BritainSouthbound exit only
Newington37.95–
38.33
61.07–
61.69
2938 Route 175 NewingtonSouthbound exit and northbound entrance are via Ella Grasso Boulevard
New Britain39.4863.543039 Route 71 Corbins Corner
FarmingtonWest Hartford line40.8965.8131-3240 I-84 / US 6 Hartford, WaterburySigned as exits 40A (west) and 40B (east); exit 39A on I-84 / US 6
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. "Road Conditions in Connecticut". The Hartford Daily Courant. August 6, 1932. p. 13. Retrieved December 24, 2019 via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. "0082-0318 Route 9 Middletown Home". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
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